Harrowing video shows worshippers fleeing Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church with small kids as two off-duty cops battle female shooter who opened fire on congregation

A harrowing video shows nan infinitesimal worshippers astatine Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church ran for screen arsenic shots rang retired successful nan Texas congregation.

The footage captured nan horrifying seconds aft a female successful a trench overgarment changeable up the Houston megachurch of nan personage pastor - earlier being killed by 2 off-duty cops. 

The fishy entered nan building during a Spanish-language sermon pinch a five-year-old boy soon earlier 2pm and nan kid was changeable and critically injured. 

Images from nan segment show nan chaotic infinitesimal terrified congregants tally to information aft proceeding respective shots fired.

Police Chief Troy Finner said it was not clear whether nan young kid was struck by nan officers - a 28-year-old Houston constabulary serviceman and a 38-year-old supplier pinch nan Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission - who returned fire. Finner added a 57-year-old man was changeable and wounded.

Finner said aft nan female began shooting, some officers 'engaged' her and nan female was killed.

He praised nan officers for quickly confronting nan woman, adding, 'She had a agelong gun, and it could person been a batch worse.' 

The kid was successful captious information aft being taken to a hospital. The man who was wounded successful his hep was stable.

The shooting happened betwixt services astatine nan megachurch that is regularly attended by 45,000 group each week, making it nan 3rd largest megachurch successful nan U.S., according to nan Hartford Institute for Religion Research. Osteen´s televised sermons scope astir 100 countries.

It was not clear wherever Osteen was astatine nan clip but he joined constabulary astatine a news convention afterward and said nan religion is 'devastated.' 

But he added that nan shooting could person been overmuch worse if it had happened during nan larger 11am service. 

He added he would believe for nan victims and for nan female who did nan shooting and their families.

'We´re going to enactment beardown and we´re going to proceed to, to move forward,' Osteen said aft authorities spoke. 

'There are forces of evil, but nan forces that are for america -- nan forces of God -- are stronger than that. So we´re going to support going beardown and just, you know, doing what God´s called america to do: assistance group up and springiness dream to nan world.'

Witnesses told reporters that they heard aggregate gunshots soon earlier nan church's 2 p.m. Spanish connection work was group to begin.

Christina Rodriguez, who was wrong nan church, told Houston tv position KTRK that she 'started screaming, `There´s a shooter, there´s a shooter,´' and past she and others ran to nan backside of a room wrong nan building, past stood successful a stairway earlier they were told it was safe to leave. 

People stood extracurricular nan building arsenic authorities evacuated nan church. 

Officials later announced a reunification halfway had been group up for group to find their loved ones, astatine a adjacent fittingness center.

Witness Paula Laverde said: 'So location was 1 changeable first and past location was a group of shots and past we started moving and past location were aggregate sets of shots, I can't really count them, it was astatine slightest 5 times that they changeable aggregate times.'

Longtime religion personnel Alan Guity, whose family is from Honduras, said he was resting wrong nan church´s sanctuary earlier nan 2pm work arsenic his mother was moving arsenic an usher erstwhile he heard gunshots.

'Boom, boom, boom, roar and I yelled, `Mom,´' he said.

The 35-year-old ran to his mother and they some laid level connected nan level and prayed arsenic nan gunfire continued. They remained location for astir 5 minutes until personification told them it was safe to evacuate. 

Outside, Guity said, he and his mother tried to calm group down by worshiping and singing successful Spanish, 'Move successful me, move successful me. Touch my mind and my heart. Move wrong maine Holy Spirit.'

Guity was among nan galore congregation members who waited Sunday evening to beryllium allowed to return to their vehicles arsenic constabulary continued to hunt nan building. The religion is located successful what utilized to beryllium an arena wherever nan NBA's Houston Rockets utilized to play years ago.

The religion said successful a statement: 'There is an progressive business involving shots fired astatine Lakewood. Law enforcement is connected nan scene. That is each nan accusation we person astatine this time. Please believe for Lakewood and our community.' 

One witnesser said he heard astir 30 gunshots arsenic he ran retired of nan religion pinch his daughters.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said 'our hearts are pinch those impacted by today´s tragic shooting and nan full Lakewood Church organization successful Houston. Places of believe are sacred.' 

At slightest 20 constabulary and occurrence trucks were adjacent 1 of nan church´s entrances Sunday afternoon, including nan occurrence department´s hazardous materials truck. 

Finner said it was reported that nan female had a bomb, but nary explosives were recovered erstwhile her conveyance and backpack were searched. 

Worshippers could beryllium seen leaving nan building arsenic authorities evacuated nan religion earlier nan news conference. 

Officials announced a reunification halfway had been group up astatine a adjacent gym for group to find their loved ones.