The former mother-in-law of the Lakewood church shooter says in a new interview that the attack was “predictable and preventable.”
Houston police have identified the gunman as Janece Yvonne Moreno, 36, who they say was wearing a trench coat and carrying a backpack when she entered Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church on Sunday. Police said Moreno, who used both male and female aliases but recently identified himself as a woman, dragged a 7-year-old boy into the church before opening fire.
A boy, said to be Moreno’s son, was shot in the head and hospitalized in critical condition, and Moreno was killed by an armed guard at the church.
“This is predictable, it’s avoidable, it’s the only thing that can be predicted,” Wali Carranza, who calls herself a rabbi on Facebook and is also the suspect’s former mother-in-law, said in an interview that aired Tuesday on ABC News. That was the reason,” he said. Something is to stop it and strike a superior blow against it. ”
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The suspect Houston police say opened fire on the Lakewood church, Genes Yvonne Moreno, used multiple aliases, including Jeffrey Escalante Moreno. She has also been arrested six times dating back to 2005. (Texas Department of Public Safety/Kirk Side/Houston Chronicle, via AP)
“And that salient attack doesn’t always have to be in court. It should be healing. And that’s what we were looking for. We’re going to try to find this, find a place of healing. We had a family meeting with her and her mother to find a place to move forward for the child,” Carranza said.
“At one point, I contacted Joel Osteen’s church and asked for my mother’s help and intervention. If any of our members find themselves in a situation that requires my intervention, I encourage anyone to contact me. And that’s what I did. “He needed it. I needed their team — and I don’t know what they did — I don’t know if they could have done it.”
Authorities said Moreno had a history of mental illness, including being taken into emergency custody in 2016, but did not provide further details.
“The tremendous guilt that grandparents and parents feel when they fail to protect their children from something so terrifying needs to be put aside when they are in the room with their children so that they can feel only hope. “And moving forward. We’re going to live our lives out the front window, not in the rearview mirror,” Carranza added.
Carranza, said to be the boy’s paternal grandmother, was embroiled in a bitter divorce and custody battle between her sons Quito and Moreno that spanned two Texas counties.
According to Click2Houston, in court documents filed in Montgomery County, Carranza says Moreno and her mother “lied” to authorities for reasons that were incomprehensible to “even the pastor of Joel Osteen’s church.” , alleging that he “knowingly and intentionally caused harm to the child.” Carranza said he sought advice from the pastoral staff at Lakewood, where Moreno’s mother was a member, to “understand the cause of the women’s behavior,” but court documents say Carranza asked which staff members There is no indication whether he claims to have made contact.
In a rambling 2022 non-disclosure order application against Carranza, which Moreno wrote without the help of a lawyer, Moreno complained of being intimidated and followed, according to the Associated Press, and FBI Director Christopher -He claimed to have received a text message from Ray.
From left to right, Lakewood Church Pastor Joel Osteen, Police Chief Troy Finner, and Samuel Pena participate in a press conference during the mass shooting at Lakewood Church on Sunday, February 11, 2024. Fire Chief and Mayor John Whitmire. (Kirk Side/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
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. Carranza claimed that Moreno suffers from schizophrenia and that he consistently does not take his prescribed medication.
Moreno’s ex-husband told a Harris County judge in 2021 that Moreno “physically attacked” him and “chased him repeatedly.” [him] According to Click2Houston, he “ran out of the house with a knife.” Moreno also told the judge that he did not tell her that the child was born until she was a month old, and that he “apparently told the hospital the following.” [he] He was dead. “
Her ex-husband was granted custody in Harris County, but a new trial held in Montgomery County following a change of venue resulted in the opposite result.
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Police searched Moreno’s residence in Conroe, more than 80 miles north of the church, where authorities said they found anti-Semitic literature. Officials said the weapon used in the attack had a “Palestinian” sticker on it.
In a statement shared online after the shooting, Carranza said:[A]Yesterday, my ex-wife made a pro-Palestinian rant against Israel and Jews, but this has nothing to do with Judaism or Islam. there is nothing! But this is what happens when reckless and irresponsible reporting gives people with severe mental illness an excuse to commit violence. ”
“Even if found responsible for shooting my grandson, no one would be able to blame the police officers who were doing their legitimate duty to save lives. The blame lies with Montgomery County and Harris, who refused to take away parental rights. County Child Protective Services said he had a known mental illness but was not receiving treatment, and Texas did not have strong red flag laws prohibiting gun ownership or possession. ,” the grandmother added.
Houston police officers watch over people evacuated outside a Lakewood church on Sunday after a shooting. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle, via AP)
Five neighbors who lived near Moreno in a small two-street community in Conroe told FOX 26 Houston that they have been through years of “hell” while trying to alert police and local officials about her actions. told. According to reports, Moreno posted swastikas and gang symbols on the side of his home, pointed a rifle at a neighbor’s grandson at one point, pointed a gun at another neighbor, played threatening music, and at other times. He is said to have sped past and swerved toward a neighbor who was carrying her grandchildren. To the park.
The women filed a false police report claiming that Moreno was also stalking them and their son, but in reality, Moreno had a baby monitor installed on the fence of their home and was following them when they went out. Moreno claimed to have been the one recording the incident. They also alleged that Moreno regularly carried long rifles and gun cases in and out of his home as part of his threat.
Despite this, they say local law enforcement and authorities have refused to take meaningful action on their frequent reports.
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 included counterfeiting $100 bills and stealing socks, hats and cosmetics. , and assaulted a detention officer.
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Moreno was sentenced to 180 days in prison for his assault conviction in August 2009.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
