Shooter at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston had 2 rifles, police say

The shooter who opened hearth at movie star pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston earlier than being killed by safety officers had two rifles on the Texas megachurch however solely used one, police stated Monday. The shooter was recognized as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who had a historical past of psychological well being points, police stated throughout a information convention.

A motive for the assault that despatched worshippers speeding for security in between busy providers on Sunday stays unclear, officers stated. The shooter used an AR-15 rifle within the capturing.

”There was a sticker on the buttstock of the rifle that acknowledged Palestine,” Houston Police Commander Christopher Hassig instructed reporters. He later stated investigators consider the shooter acted alone.

Police recovered antisemitic writings of their investigation and consider there was a dispute between the shooter’s ex-husband and the ex-husband’s household, a few of whom are Jewish, Hassig stated.

The shooter additionally had a .22-caliber rifle in a bag that wasn’t used within the capturing, Hassig stated.

Authorities stated a 7-year-old boy who entered the church with the shooter and a person in his 50s had been injured within the capturing. Authorities stated the boy was in crucial situation and is the shooter’s son.

A livestream from the church captured the second gunshots could possibly be heard simply forward of a Spanish-language service.

The shooter entered the church in a trenchcoat and began to fireplace earlier than two off-duty officers working church safety fired again, police stated.

Officers stated it wasn’t clear who fired the shot that hit the kid.

The shooter threatened having an explosive, however the bomb squad did not discover something, police stated.

”It may’ve been so much worse,” Osteen instructed reporters throughout a information convention after the capturing.

An affidavit searching for a search warrant for a house in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston requested FBI help in retrieving any information from digital units discovered within the dwelling.