On February 11, 2024, a shooting occurred at Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, perpetrated by 36-year-old Genesse Moreno.
| 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 | AR-15–style rifle[1] |
| Deaths | 1 (the perpetrator) |
| Injured | 2 |
| Perpetrator | Genesse Ivonne Moreno[2] |
Shooting
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]
The shooter, Genesse Moreno, claimed to have a bomb in her backpack, but no bomb was subsequently found.[5][6] She also sprayed "some type of substance on the ground".[7] She shot a 47-year-old man in the leg, wounding him.[8][5][9]
Moreno said "Stay calm, all I need is help,"[10] then proceeded to fire more rounds.
Two off-duty officers, serving as security at the church, killed Moreno after she pointed an AR-15 at them. Moreno's seven-year-old son was shot in the exchange of gunfire.[6] The child was taken to the Texas Children's Hospital in critical condition.[5] Moreno was shot and killed four minutes after entering the church.[10]
Reports of a second shooter caused some alarm among Houston residents, leading police to evacuate businesses in the commercial district. Police confirmed that there was no second shooter.[11]
The wounded 47-year-old man was released from the hospital by February 12.[6] The seven-year-old had a portion of the frontal lobe of his brain surgically removed,[12][13] and had his breathing tube removed after 13 days.[13] His grandmother Rabbi Walli Carranza urged people to "demand that no one's second amendment rights overtake an innocent child's inherent right to life".[13]
Camera footage from body cameras and surveillance cameras was released by the police.[10]
Perpetrator
Police confirmed the following day that they identified the shooter as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno (August 21, 1987[14] – February 11, 2024).[15] Moreno was raised in Conroe, Texas, and had both a criminal record and documented mental health issues.[6][16] Carranza, her ex-mother-in-law, said that she had schizophrenia that caused her to become violent,[17] and claimed that "What was needed for years was a collaborative mental health and law enforcement response".[10] She legally obtained her weapon in December 2023; Carranza criticized the lack of a red flag law.[17]
Carranza unsuccessfully petitioned for conservatorship of Moreno's son, the injured child, in 2022.[18]
As of February 19, 2024[update], no motive is known.[6] Police confirmed that Moreno's AR-15–style rifle had a "Palestine" sticker on it and claimed that antisemitic writings had been discovered.[19][20] According to the Anti-Defamation League, Moreno had made multiple comments propagating anti-semitic conspiracy theories, praising Osama bin Laden, and promoting terrorist organizations.[21]
Moreno previously used the alias Jeffery Escalante; although she at no point was identified as anything other than a cisgender female, her use of this alias caused far-right commentators, including Libs of TikTok and Fox News,[22] to spread misinformation claiming that the shooter was a transgender woman.[17][23][24] Fox News later edited its article to remove the claim.[22] Republican politicians, including Ted Cruz,[25] Donald Trump Jr.,[25] Marjorie Taylor Greene,[22] and Josh Hawley[22] promoted the claim. This continued an ongoing trend of conservative commentators claiming that the LGBT community is to blame for increasing gun violence in America.[25] However, this claim contradicts statistics that trans people are far more likely to be victims than perpetrators of violence.[22][17]
Responses
Lakewood Church asked people to "pray for Lakewood and our community".[8] 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."[5]
References
- ^ "A woman walked into a Houston megachurch with a child and began shooting. Here's what we know". CNN. February 12, 2024. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Who was the shooter killed at Lakewood Church?". KHOU. February 12, 2024. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Lozano, Juan A. (February 12, 2024). "What to know about a shooting at Joel Osteen's megachurch". AP News. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ Razek, Raja (February 11, 2024). "Possible shooter down at pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, authorities say". CNN. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Jenkins, Sarah E. (February 11, 2024). "Female suspect fatally shot after shooting at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church". CBS News. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Faguy, Ana (February 12, 2024). "What We Know About The Lakewood Church Shooter". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Maxouris, Christina; Mascarenhas, Lauren; Miller, John (February 12, 2024). "A woman walked into a Houston megachurch with a child and began shooting. Here's what we know". CNN. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ a b Vacchiano, Andrea (February 11, 2024). "Lakewood Church shooting: Woman with child in tow opens fire inside Joel Osteen's Texas megachurch". Fox News. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Williams, Ashley R.; Bonner, Jeanne; Razek, Raja (February 18, 2024). "Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church resumes Sunday service one week after shooting that left 7-year-old boy injured". CNN. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Mayes-Osterman, Cybele (February 27, 2024). "New footage shows moments after shooter opens fire at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Hernández, Arelis R.; Boorstein, Michelle (February 12, 2024). "Police kill female shooter, injure child after shots fired inside megachurch". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Ryan, Shannon; Guillermo, Matt (February 15, 2024). "Lakewood Shooting latest: Boy lost part of frontal lobe, grandmother says; Evidence log revealed". ABC13 Houston. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ a b c Grunau, Sarah (February 26, 2024). "7-year-old boy critically injured in Lakewood Church shooting now breathing on his own, grandmother says". Houston Public Media. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Search Warrant document of Genesse Moreno - Montgomery County, Texas" (PDF). KHOU. February 11, 2024.
- ^ Taylor, Brittany; Strauss, Debbie (February 12, 2024). "Houston Lakewood Church shooting suspect identified as Conroe resident in search warrant". Click2Houston. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Lozano, Juan; Coronado, Acacia; Vertuno, Jim (February 12, 2024). "Shooter entered Texas megachurch with young son and used AR-style rifle in the attack, police say". AP News. Retrieved June 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Owen, Tess (February 13, 2024). "The Far Right Is Spreading Misinformation Claiming the Lakewood Church Shooter Was Trans". Vice. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Almasy, Steve; Maxouris, Christina; Rose, Andy (February 13, 2024). "Houston megachurch shooter had history of mental illness but still was able to buy a gun, her mother-in-law says". CNN.
- ^ Fiallo, Josh (February 12, 2024). "Cops Find Texas Megachurch Shooter's 'Antisemitic Writings'". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ Margolin, Josh; Shapiro, Emily; Villarreal, Mireya (February 12, 2024). "Lakewood Church shooting: AR-15 had 'Palestine' sticker, antisemitic writings recovered, police say". ABC News. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
- ^ "Lakewood Megachurch Shooter Expressed Antisemitism, Support for Islamist Terrorist Groups". www.adl.org.
- ^ a b c d e Wiggins, Christopher (February 12, 2024). "Libs of TikTok and GOP misidentify Texas shooter as trans". The Advocate. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ Zhou, Li (February 13, 2024). "The far right is using the Lakewood Church shooting for anti-trans attacks". Vox. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ Goldin, Melissa (February 13, 2024). "The Texas megachurch shooter has not been identified as transgender, despite claims online". AP News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ a b c Dodds, Io (February 14, 2024). "Ted Cruz and Don Jr boost debunked claim Lakewood Church shooter was a transgender woman". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.