A 36-year-old female shooter is dead and her 7-year-old son remains in critical condition, following a shooting yesterday at Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Houston.

Houston Police have identified the female shooter in an arrest warrant as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, CNN reported. Officials say the shooter used an AR-15, according to local TV station KTRK. Police also reportedly recovered a .22 caliber rifle in a bag. One of the weapons reportedly read, “Palestine.”

At a press conference yesterday, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said the incident began when a female between the ages of 30-35 entered the west side of church’s property between services around 2 p.m. Moreno, who was accompanied by her son, was reportedly armed with a long rifle and wore a trench coat and a backpack.  

The woman began firing the gun soon after she walked into the megachurch, Finner said at the Sunday afternoon news conference.

While worshippers rushed to safety, two off-duty officers confronted and killed the shooter, police say. The boy was reportedly injured in the shoot-out, but it’s unclear who shot him. Moreno died at the scene, authorities say.

The gunfire also injured an unidentified 57-year-old man, who reportedly was released today from the hospital.

After the officers shot the woman, she threatened that she had a bomb, Finner said. Her vehicle and backpack were searched, but no bomb was found. Finner also said that the shooter sprayed a substance on the ground but is unknown what the substance was.

The officers who engaged with the shooter—a 28-year-old Houston Police Department officer and a 38-year-old agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission—will be placed on administrative duty pending an investigation, Finner said.

“I want to commend those officers,” Finner added. “(The shooter) had a long gun, and it could have been a lot worse,” Finner said. “But they stepped up and they did their job, and I want to thank them for that.”

Finner said police believe the shooting was an isolated incident and there is no further threat to public safety. 

At a press conference Sunday, Osteen expressed relief more lives were not lost. “I can only imagine if it would have happened during the 11 o’clock service,” he said.

The building, which previously served as a sports arena, hosts an average of 45,000 people for services each week. It’s the third largest megachurch in the United States, according to the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

“Of course, we’re devastated. We don’t understand why these things happen,” Osteen said. “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.”

Osteen later released a statement on social media and on the church’s website thanking law enforcement for their prompt response. The pastor asked for continued prayer for healing and peace. 

“In times like these, our faith is tested, but it is also strengthened,” Osteen wrote. “We don’t always understand why things like this happen, but we know that God is in control. “

Motive unknown

Police have not stated a motive for the shooting. However, at a news conference today, Houston Police Department Homicide Division Cmdr. Chris Hassag noted Moreno’s “mental health history” and “antisemitic writings.”

Authorities also reported that Moreno was in a “familial dispute” with her ex-husband and his family, who are Jewish.

Hassag also said Moreno, who was born in El Salvador, used aliases, including “Jeffery Escalante.”

She also had a criminal history dating back to 2005, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety records search. Prior arrests reportedly included assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft, evading arrest, and unlawful carrying weapon.

Witnesses describe screaming, running, during the shooting

Video from a church feed shows a host making announcements in Spanish, interrupted by the sound of gunshots and screams, according to CNN News.

Christina Rodriguez, who was inside the church during the incident, told the local television station KTRK that she “started screaming, ‘There’s a shooter, there’s a shooter,’ ”when the violence erupted. She and others then ran to the backside of a library inside the building and stood in a stairway before they were told it was safe to leave.

Another woman told KHOU 11 that she was leaving the service and saw pastor Joel Osteen greeting people on the second floor when she heard the shots.

People started running and screaming, she said. “I turned around and started running with the rest of the people,” she said. “We hid about 10 adults in a closet and there was one child in there,” she said.

A father told KHOU 11 that he worried about his kids who were in daycare during the shooting. He ran upstairs to get them but wasn’t allowed into the daycare until three hours after the incident. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he has been in contact with Houston Mayor John Whitmire and is offering the “full support and resources” of the state, including the Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to “help bring swift justice to the criminal who committed this heinous act.”

Statement on the Lakewood Church shooting:https://t.co/nlUmdNV4CA pic.twitter.com/P6K2G1d8JW

— Gov. Greg Abbott (@GovAbbott) February 11, 2024

“Our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston,” Abbott said in a statement. “Places of worship are sacred.”

Popular Christian singer Tauren Wells, who used to be on staff at Lakewood, responded to news of the shooting on Facebook.

He posted, “Carrying my Lakewood family in my heart tonight. I’m grateful to hear of the preparation of security teams and swift action of law enforcement. May God be close, and his people filled with defiant courage to keep showing up!”

Investigations into the shooting are still ongoing.

Freelance journalist Liz Lykins writes for WORLD Magazine, Christianity Today, Ministry Watch, and other publications.