HOUSTON (AP) — Gunman At a megachurch in Texas Sunday's man, who has a history of mental illness and brought his young son with him, took part in the attack, which was carried out using an AR-style rifle and ended in a shootout with two off-duty police officers, authorities said. announced on Monday.
Houston police identified the gunman as Geneth Yvonne Moreno, 36, who allegedly entered Lakewood Church wearing a trench coat and carrying a backpack. Pastor Joel Osteen. Houston Police Chief Chris Hassig said Moreno used both male and female aliases, but investigators who reviewed previous police reports determined that Moreno was female. He said he had discovered it.
The attack occurred during a service break at a Houston megachurch inside a former NBA arena, sending worshipers scrambling for safety.
On Monday, Moreno's 7-year-old son was shot in the head and in critical condition during the shooting, authorities said. Church spokesman Don Iloff said Moreno, who was killed by police, was not a known member of Osteen's congregation.
Police and FBI agents have not determined a motive for the shooting, but said they are investigating a dispute involving family members of Moreno and Moreno's ex-husband. Hassig and others said Moreno has a history of mental illness, including being taken into emergency custody in 2016, but did not provide further details.
Hassig noted that Moreno's former in-laws are Jewish and said investigators had found anti-Semitic texts by the shooter. The rifle also had a “Palestine” sticker affixed to its stock. Hassig described Moreno as a “lone wolf” who acts alone.
Police searched Moreno's residence in Conroe, a city more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of the church. Court records show Moreno has a history of arrests and was involved in a divorce and child custody battle in 2022, during which Moreno's former mother-in-law told Lakewood's pastoral staff. It showed that he was looking for advice.
Court documents do not say which staff member the woman contacted. Mr. Ilov said he could not find anyone familiar with the contact details listed in the legal filing.
Moreno appears to have legally purchased the rifle used in the December attack, and investigators are looking into how Moreno obtained the rifle, officials said. Police said Moreno also brought a .22 caliber rifle to the church.
Investigators said Moreno and the boy entered the church building just before the 2 p.m. Spanish service after Moreno pointed a gun at an unarmed security guard.
Once inside, Moreno began firing, and security guards inside the building – off-duty Houston police officer Christopher Moreno and Texas Liquor Commission officer Adrian Herrera – returned fire, killing the gunman. Investigators said. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Christopher Moreno is not related to Genes Moreno.
Hassig said all the shooting occurred in the church hallway and no violence reached the main sanctuary, calling the clash a “gunfight” that lasted several minutes.
Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Chairman Kevin Lilly said the guard “survived close range rifle fire.” “They were a wall between worshipers and terror.”
Finner said both officers fired their weapons, but investigators do not yet know whether Moreno's son was accidentally shot by one of the officers. A 57-year-old man who was shot in the hip has been released from the hospital, police said.
After being shot, the gunman told officers there was a bomb, but a search did not find any explosives, Finner said.
Moreno, also known as Jeffrey Escalante Moreno or Jeffrey Escalante, was charged in six criminal cases between 2005 and 2011, according to records in Harris County, where Houston is located.
Charges range from forging $100 bills to stealing socks, hats and cosmetics to assaulting a detention officer by kicking him. Moreno was sentenced to 180 days in prison for his assault conviction in August 2009.
In a rambling 2022 petition for an order of protection against Moreno's ex-stepmother, written by Moreno without the assistance of a lawyer, Moreno complained that she had been threatened and followed, and that Christopher He claimed to have received a text message from FBI Director Ray.
In a separate court motion seeking guardianship of Moreno's son, her former mother-in-law claimed that Moreno suffered from mental illness and that the child had been neglected and abused.
Phone messages seeking comment from Moreno's family were not returned Monday.
According to the Hartford Institute of Religion, Lakewood regularly attends 45,000 people each week, making it the third largest megachurch in the United States.
Osteen talked about violence. it could have been worse If the shooting had happened earlier and during a large Sunday morning service. Osteen was inside the church and was on the first floor when the shooting occurred, Iloff said, adding that the shooting occurred on the second floor.
The gunshots terrified worshipers.
Alan Guity has been a member of the church since 1998. He was resting inside the church sanctuary, where his mother works as an usher, when he heard gunshots, he said.
“Boom, boom, boom, boom. And I yelled, 'Mom!'” he said. Guity, 35, ran to her mother, but they both lay on the floor as the gunfire continued, she said.
Osteen, 60, took over the reins of Lakewood Church after his father, the church's founding pastor, John Osteen, passed away in 1999. The church grew dramatically under his leadership.
Osteen is a leading promoter of the so-called prosperity gospel, the belief that God wants believers to be wealthy and healthy. He is the author of several best-selling books, including Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Live at Your Full Potential.
His televised services reached nearly 100 countries, and renovations to his church's arena cost nearly $100 million.
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This story corrects the spelling of Genesse Ivonne Moreno's middle name. The shooter's middle name is spelled Yvonne, not Yvonna.
