Lakewood Church shooting

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Lakewood Church shooting

Location| Lakewood Church
Houston, Texas, U.S.
Date| February 11, 2024
c. 1:53 p.m. (CST; UTC−06:00)

Attack type

| Shooting
Weapon| Smith & Wesson M&P15[1]
Deaths| 1 (the perpetrator)
Injured| 2
Perpetrator| Genesse Ivonne Moreno[2]

On February 11, 2024, a shooting occurred at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. 36-year-old Genesee Moreno entered accompanied her seven-year-old son at 1:53 PM CST, seven minutes before a Spanish-language Sunday afternoon service, and began shooting shortly after. A livestream was ongoing.

## Shooting[edit]

Witnesses at Lakewood Church stated that they heard multiple shots fired around 2:00 pm CST, the start time of the Spanish-language services.[3][4] Reportedly, congregants "started praying and declaring Jesus' name" after hearing shots.[5]

Two people were shot:[6] the shooter's seven-year-old son, who was shot in the head;[7] and a 57-year-old man, who was shot in the leg.[8] Two off-duty officers killed the shooter after she pointed an AR-15 at them; the shooter's son was shot in the exchange of gunfire.[7] The Houston Fire Department took the child to Texas Children's Hospital in critical condition.[8]

Police chief Troy Finner stated that the shooter was a woman accompanied by a child, which is unusual in shooting cases.[4] The shooter claimed to have a bomb in her backpack, but no bomb was subsequently found.[8][7] She also sprayed "some type of substance on the ground".[9]

Ed Gonzalez, Sheriff of Harris County, said on X that he "believed that a possible shooter is down, shot by one of our deputy’s on-scene".[3][failed verification] He later stated that he did not believe a Harris County deputy had taken the shooter down, saying that "other agencies fired".[4] Two off-duty officers, serving as security at the church,[7] killed the shooter: a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission; both were placed on administrative leave, as is protocol.[9] Moreno was pronounced dead fourteen minutes after entering the church.[7]

Police directed people to avoid the area, describing it as "on-going, active scene".[3][4] Several roads were forcibly closed,[5] and a reunification center was established at Greenway Plaza's Life Time Fitness gym.[6]

Reports of a second shooter caused panic among Houston residents, leading the police to evacuate businesses in the commercial district. Police confirmed that there was no second shooter.[10] Police patrols around religious centers were increased.[8]

The child was subsequently identified as Moreno's son, and as actually being seven years old, not five.[11]

The 57-year-old man was released from the hospital by February 12.[7] The seven-year-old is still in critical condition as of February 12.[7]

## Perpetrator[edit]

Police confirmed the following day that they identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno.[12] Moreno was a hispanic woman with a criminal record and documented mental health issues.[7]

Police confirmed that her AR-15–style rifle had a "Palestine" sticker on it and claimed that antisemitic writings had been discovered.[13][14] She had reportedly been involved in a dispute with her ex-husband’s Jewish relatives.[15]

Moreno's motive is unknown.[7]

## Responses[edit]

Lakewood Church asked people to "pray for Lakewood and our community".[6] Joel Osteen, its pastor, said: "Of course, we're devastated. We don't understand why these things happen. We're going to pray for the 5-year-old little boy, the lady who is deceased and the other gentleman. We're going to stay strong and continue to move forward."[8]

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said "Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred."[4]

The mayor of Houston, John Whitmire said: "It’s unfortunate that on a day we want to attend church and watch America’s No. 1 sports event that we find ourselves gathering to respond to this tragedy."[10]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "A woman walked into a Houston megachurch with a child and began shooting. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
2. ^ "Who was the shooter killed at Lakewood Church?". KHOU. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
3. ^ a b c "Police respond to possible shooting at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch, ask people to avoid area". ABC News. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
4. ^ a b c d e Razek, Raja (February 11, 2024). "Possible shooter down at pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, authorities say". CNN. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
5. ^ a b "1 person reportedly dead in shooting incident at Lakewood Church, sources say". ABC13 Houston. February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
6. ^ a b c Vacchiano, Andrea (February 11, 2024). "Lakewood Church shooting: Woman with child in tow opens fire inside Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch". Fox News. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i Faguy, Ana. "What We Know About The Lakewood Church Shooter". Forbes. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
8. ^ a b c d e Jenkins, S. E. (February 11, 2024). "Female suspect fatally shot after shooting at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church - CBS Texas". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
9. ^ a b Mascarenhas, Christina Maxouris, Lauren (February 12, 2024). "A woman walked into a Houston megachurch with a child and began shooting. Here's what we know". CNN. Retrieved February 12, 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
10. ^ a b Hernández, Arelis R.; Boorstein, Michelle (February 12, 2024). "Police kill female shooter, injure child after shots fired inside megachurch". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
11. ^ "Boy critically injured in Texas megachurch shooting is son of suspect in attack".
12. ^ "Houston Lakewood Church shooting suspect identified as Conroe resident in search warrant". Click2Houston.
13. ^ Fiallo, Josh (February 12, 2024). "Cops Find Texas Megachurch Shooter's 'Antisemitic Writings'". The Daily Beast. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
14. ^ News, A. B. C. "Lakewood Church shooting: AR-15 had 'Palestine' sticker, antisemitic writings recovered, police say". ABC News. Retrieved February 13, 2024. `{{cite web}}`: `|last=` has generic name (help)
15. ^ "Megachurch shooter's AR-15 rifle had a 'Palestine' sticker on it".