An active shooter armed with a long gun and wearing a trench coat opened fire at Joel Osteen’s Houston, Texas, Lakewood megachurch in between services that were being broadcast live on television, Houston’s police chief and mayor said in a news conference.
Houston police, in a February 12 news conference, identified the suspect as Genesse Moreno, who had used the alias Jeffrey Escalante. You can read more about Moreno here.
MugshotGenesse Moreno
You can watch the video later in this article. In it, the announcer is speaking on camera when gunshots ring out. You don’t see the shooter, but panic appears to set in behind the anchor.
John Whitmire, mayor of Houston, said in a news conference that a tragedy “occurred just before 2 p.m. at Lakewood church as they were in between services.”
He said he wanted Houstonians to know that first responders were doing their job protecting the public. He said the active shooter was a perfect example of the “collaboration between departments.” Whitmire offered condolences to Osteen and others affected.
“We’re devastated. I mean, we’ve been here 65 years and to have someone shooting in your church,” Osteen said in the news conference. “We don’t know why these things happen, but we know God’s in control.” He said the church community would pray for the victims and the suspect. “Kind of in a fog but . . . we’re going to stay strong.” He said there are “forces of evil but the forces of God are stronger than that.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The Suspect Was Accompanied by a Small Child & Carried a Long Gun, Police Say
In the press conference, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said that “no suspect will tear down our city and our places of worship.”
At 1:53 p.m., described by Finner as a female, about 30 to 35 years old, entered the property on the west side near the parking lot of Lakewood Church. “She was armed with a long rifle and a trench coat with a backpack, accompanied by a small child, approximately 4 to 5 years old,” Finner said. Authorities later updated that information to say the child, Moreno’s son, is 7 and was shot in the head. The child remained in criminal condition on Monday, police said.
Moreno opened fire, Finner said. Off-duty officers were working “extra employment” at the church, he said. Both officers engaged and killed the suspect, according to the police chief.
According to Finner, the boy “is in critical condition at a local hospital.” A 57-year-old man was shot in the leg. The chief said he did not believe that man “had anything to do with it.” The victims’ names have not yet been released.
Finner said it’s not clear whether the officers accidentally struck the child. But he said the suspect “put that baby in danger. I am going to put that blame on her.”
Osteen said they were in between services “going into the Spanish service” when the woman opened fire, and he noted that it could have been worse if a service was going on. He said the church will “keep bringing hope to the world.”
The Suspect Claimed to Have a Bomb & Was Spraying a Substance on the Ground, Police Say
The shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church today…. A good guy with a gun stopped a bad guy today. Praying for the families involved.
The suspect threatened that she had a bomb, Finner said. The bomb squad searched the vehicle and backpack but did not find any explosives. Moreno was also spraying a substance on the ground, Finner said.
“She had a long gun, and it could have been a lot worse,” he said.
Finner said that authorities believe the shooting was an isolated incident, but they are still investigating to make sure.
The motive is not yet clear. The mayor said the suspect appears to be a “lone actor.”
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