Moreno, the Lakewood shooter who’s motive for open firing on a celebrity paster Joel Osteen’s megachurch remained unclear as on Monday with the authorities searching the suspect’s home in suburban Houston, identifying the attack weapon as an AR-style rifle.
The house in Conroe, Texas, is more than 50 miles (80km) north of Lakewood Church, where Sunday’s shooting in between busy services sent worshippers scrambling to find safety.
The shooter is a 36-year-old Geneses Ivonne Moreno, the police said. Police say Moreno was shot dead by two off duty police officers working security at the church.
The Shooting Unfolds
The sound of gunshot inside the massive church, formerly the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, shocked worshippers just before 2 p.m. Sunday, around the time many people were getting ready to watch the Super Bowl later.
Moreno entered the church wearing a trenchcoat and backpack and armed with a long rifle. Moreno began shooting and was confronted by two off-duty officers, a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, who returned fire. Said Houston police Chief Troy Finner.
“They held their ground in the face of rifle fire at point blank range,” said Kevin Lilly, chairman of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
Before being shot, the suspect told officers that they had a bomb and were carrying “a yellow color rope and substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices, which appeared to be a detonation cord,” written in the search warrant affidavit, although as per police no explosives or hazardous material were found.
Know the Victims
7-year-old Moreno’s son, was shot in the head and remained in critical condition Monday.
It remained unclear how the boy, got struck by gunfire, who was taken to a Houston children’s hospital. Authorities described other victims as a man in his 50s who got a gunshot wound in his hip.
What is known about the shooter?
Moreno had a history of mental illness, including being under emergency detention in 2016, according to authorities. She sometimes used both male and female aliases (false identities a criminal use to cover his/her true identity) but as per previous records and reports Moreno identified as female, we are also looking into the disputes between Moreno and her Ex-husband’s family. As per police commander Chris Hassig, Houston.
The shooter purchased the AR-15 style rifle, somewhere during December last year, Moreno was also carrying a .22 caliber rifle.
Authorities also found antisemitic writings by the shooter during the investigation, along with “Palestine” sticker on its buttocks. As per the sources she was a “lone wolf” and not operating as any part of a larger group.
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