Shooting at Huffman, Texas Church Parking Lot Sunday Morning, One Killed

I was made aware of this incident by a reader of the newsletter. Thank you for letting me know about this! If you see a violent incident at a church, let me know so we can all learn about it!

Incident Overview

In Huffman, Texas, a shooting incident occurred at the Lake Houston Methodist Church's parking lot, situated at 23606 FM-2100. This event transpired on a Sunday morning, impacting the local community.

Overview of the Church and parking lot

The incident began with a man, previously arrested on unrelated charges and released that Sunday morning, approaching a church member. He ominously stated, “Today is going to be the day,” with references to the pastor. This man's mother had prior associations with the church. Concerned church members alerted a Texas EquuSearch member about the man's presence and behavior. According to a report from KHOU, it appears the Texas EquuSearch member came to the church to provide security of the search based off of this incident.

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After the man initially left the church, he later returned to the parking lot. It was there that a member of Texas EquuSearch confronted him. The man, holding a small vape stick, advanced toward the Texas EquuSearch member. In response, the Texas EquuSearch member, armed with a long gun, discharged two shots, which tragically led to the man's fatal outcome. Notably, this incident unfolded while there were approximately 50 to 70 people inside the church, yet fortunately, no additional injuries were recorded.

Law enforcement officials responded to the scene, detaining one individual and initiating an investigation. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that there was no further public threat post-incident.

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Texas EquuSearch

Texas EquuSearch is non-profit organization specializing in search and recovery missions for missing persons, established in 2000 by Tim Miller. Its primary approach involves using mounted teams for efficient navigation and search operations in challenging terrains.

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Analysis

It is unclear if the man having an issue in the parking lot was armed. However, looking at all available news stories it appears he may have been unarmed. It is imperative that churches have a professional safety ministry that is trained in topics like use of force, threat recognition and threat analysis, and dealing with mentally ill persons.

Take our Use of Force course to learn more about proportional force.

If you need training in proportional use of force, you can take our online course on the subject. It is just an overview, so it is suggested that you expand on this knowledge with your church and continue to grow in this area. Police officers attending the church are an excellent resource for this type of training.