Two individuals, including a five-year-old boy, were wounded by gunfire from a woman who opened fire before succumbing inside the church of renowned pastor and televangelist Joel Osteen in Texas, one of the largest places of worship in the United States, authorities confirmed on Sunday.
Armed with a rifle and accompanied by a child, the assailant entered the church premises around 2:00 PM local time. The church, once a closed stadium, has been converted into a religious venue with a seating capacity of 16,800.
As the woman began shooting, off-duty police officers at the scene swiftly responded, resulting in her death.
A five-year-old child is in critical condition in a hospital, while a man approximately fifty years old got a gunshot wound to the leg, according to the police chief.
Founded in 1959, Pastor Osteen’s church is non-denominational and professes political neutrality.
The United States, with more firearms than inhabitants, boasts the highest rate of gun-related deaths among developed countries. Gun violence remains a persistent challenge that successive governments have struggled to address, with a significant portion of the American society resistant to the idea of firearm regulation.
Source: ANA-MPA / Article translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
