One year after an active shooter was fatally wounded by the security team of Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston, the Houston Police Department is handing over the investigation to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office.
On Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024, a 36-year-old woman entered the church building armed with a rifle during the church’s Spanish-language service and opened fire. The shooter brought her 7-year-old son with her.
Two off-duty officers, a Houston police officer and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) agent, who were serving on the church’s security team, returned fire on shooter, critically wounding her.
The others injured in the shooting were a 57-year-old church attender, who was shot in the hip but was not critically injured, and the shooter’s son, who was shot in the head and required intensive care following the incident.
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Before the shooter died, she told the off-duty officers that she had a bomb. However, upon further investigation, her threat was found to be untrue.
According to the authorities, investigators found that the shooter had a history of mental illness. In 2016, she was placed under an emergency detention order by police.
In the wake of the shooting, Osteen expressed shock and grief but also gratitude that the incident did not result in more deaths or injuries.
“I celebrate what the security team did,” Osteen told worshipers on Feb. 18, 2024. The shooting “didn’t have the word ‘mass’ before it, and that’s the grace of God. I thank God for that.”
On Feb. 13 of this year, the Houston Police Department turned over the investigation into the incident to the district attorney’s office.
