OAN’s Elizabeth Bolbelding
12:15pm – Monday, February 12, 2024
The gunman who opened fire on Pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston, Texas, has been identified by law enforcement as 36-year-old Genesee Yvonne Moreno.
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Around 2 p.m. Sunday, a transgender female gunman entered Lakewood Church with an AR-15 with the words “Liberate Palestine” written on it. According to reports, Moreno was wearing a trench coat and backpack and was accompanied by a 7-year-old boy, who was confirmed to be the shooter’s biological son.
Moreno entered Lakewood Church, the third largest megachurch in the United States, and shot and wounded a man with an AR-15 rifle, according to Montgomery County warrant detectives obtained by Houston police.
Moreno then pointed the gun at the off-duty security guard. Before any further harm could be done, Moreno was shot by two law enforcement officers and died from his wounds.
The male victim, identified as a 57-year-old man, and a 7-year-old boy who was a passenger in the Moreno were also struck by gunfire at some point during the shooting. It is unclear whether the victims were fired by responding officers or from the suspect’s gun.
The child was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital in critical condition, police said.
Additionally, the warrant states that Moreno claimed to have a bomb in his possession before he was killed. To investigate the motive and intent of Moreno’s shooting, detectives sought a warrant for a Conroe address associated with Moreno.
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peña later confirmed that no explosives were found during a search of the gunman’s personal belongings or vehicle.
“At this time, I can say that we have not found anything that would be of concern to our community or this location, but we will take our time to make sure we investigate all aspects,” Peña said in a press release. . Sunday conference.
“This is not only traumatic for our community, but it’s definitely traumatic for the police officers who had to give their lives, and we’re concerned about their mental health as well, so we ’s prayers are with them,” he added.
The shooter, who identifies as transgender, was originally born in El Salvador under the name “Jeffrey Escalante” and eventually changed his name to Genesee Yvonne Moreno, according to reports. Sources also claim that Moreno had an extensive criminal history.
Other than the shooter, no deaths from the incident have been announced at this time. A local hospital treated a man who was shot in the leg. As of Monday morning, her 7-year-old son remained in critical condition.
Additionally, no information has been released about the shooter’s possible motive.
The megachurch’s ambassador, Pastor Joel Osteen, 60, issued a statement to the press regarding the incident. He said the tragedy “could have been much worse” if the shooting had occurred during a Sunday morning service when more people were in attendance.
“We don’t understand why things like this happen, but we know God is in control,” Osteen said.
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
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