Shooter at Joel Osteen’s Texas mega-church, a Transsexual and active member of the LGBTQ Community had ‘Free Palestine’ written on rifle
The person who opened fire at Joel Osteen’s packed Houston-area mega-church on Sunday has been named as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, according to the Houston Chronicle, as authorities revealed that “Free Palestine” was written on the weapon used in the attack.
Moreno entered Lakewood Church just before a Spanish-language service was due to begin at 2 p.m. with a boy, believed to be about 4 or 5 years old, and opened fire as hundreds of people were taking their pews.
Two off-duty officers working security at the church — a Houston cop and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — returned fire and fatally shot Moreno, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Sunday.
The boy was also shot and has been hospitalized in critical condition.
When asked whether the child was shot by an officer, Finner declined to speculate, but said, “That female, that suspect, put that baby in danger. I’m going to put that blame on her.”
His relationship to Moreno was not immediately known.
Moreno had a criminal history dating back to 2005 and was previously arrested under the name Jeffery Escalante, according to local station KHOU, raising questions over whether the shooter was transitioning before or at the time of the attack.
A 2022 photo taken when Moreno was booked into jail at Fort Bend County, Texas, listed her sex as female, according to the website Mugshots Zone.
One 57-year-old civilian bystander was also shot in the leg, authorities said, adding that the man was hospitalized and in stable condition.
While law enforcement told ABC about Moreno’s gun’s being daubed with “Free Palestine,” a motive in the shooting remains unclear, and police are still investigating.
Chilling video captured the start of a Spanish-language service suddenly being interrupted by a barrage of gunfire. Detectives said Moreno may have fired as many as 12 shots into the church before she was taken down.
Before Moreno died from her injuries, she poured an unknown substance on the floor and told officers that there was a bomb, but a search of the area by a hazmat team found no evidence of explosives.
Hours after the shooting, FBI agents and other law enforcement searched Moreno’s home in Conroe. Authorities said they have reason to believe there are guns, ammunition and explosive materials inside the home, according to a search warrant obtained by KHOU.
A car was also towed away from the home, the station reported.
Osteen, 60, said during a press conference Sunday that the tragedy could have been much worse had it happened during the earlier or later Sunday services, which draw larger crowds
“I could only imagine … if it would have happened during the 11 o’clock service,” he said at the scene.
The church, founded by Osteen’s late father, is attended by 45,000 people weekly, making it the third-largest mega-church in America.
This is a developing story, please check back for updates.