A woman opened fire with a long gun at a well-known megachurch in Houston, Texas, on Sunday. She was shot shortly afterwards by security forces present, the responsible police authority said at a press conference. The security forces were two police officers who were not on duty. The shooter had a small child with her, it said. The boy, estimated to be five years old, was shot during the firefight and is in critical condition. An uninvolved man was also injured in the leg.
The church is the Lakewood Church of Protestant celebrity preacher Joel Osteen. According to media reports, 45,000 people in Lakewood attend weekly services. However, according to the church website, there was no service taking place at the time of the crime. According to police, the investigation is ongoing.
In the USA, rampages and fatal shootings are sadly part of everyday life. Firearms are easily available there and are widely circulated. Bloody attacks with many victims regularly shake the country – for example at schools, supermarkets, nightclubs or at large events. After every major attack, there are new calls for gun laws to be tightened, for example for a ban on assault rifles, which are regularly used in rampages. However, the demands are in vain, not least because of resistance from the Republican ranks.
