When shots rang out at Joel Osteen’s Megachurch in Houston, TX, “Lakewood Church” on February 11th, it left the community stunned by the assailant’s boldness. Hiding behind her child with a trench coat and backpack on, 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno opened fire. While her son and one man were both left in critical condition, she was shot dead on the spot by two off-duty officers.
Storming the church with a “Free Palestine” sticker on her rife, Moreno had a clear-cut motive behind the attack, only to find herself quickly learning she had picked the wrong church. Going by male aliases, she was well known to Houston police and had heavily documented mental health issues. Originally hailing from El Salvador, her story is the polar opposite of the one liberals want to push.
Houston Fire Department Chief Sam Peña spoke out later that evening about the situation. “Before dying, Moreno declared she had a bomb, although a bomb squad later searched the premises and found no evidence of explosives in Moreno’s backpack or car. The shooter also sprayed “some type of substance” on the ground, but investigators still aren’t sure what it is. A HAZMAT team and a decontamination crew checked the property to ensure no risk is posed to the public.”
CC footage shows her arriving at the church in a white vehicle and entering from the west side with her son in tow. Happening during a lull between English and Spanish services, announcements were being made in Spanish as the shots rang out.
Looking at social media posts from Moreno’s accounts as well as her alias Jeffery Escalante and strong leftist and anti-police postings. In one final post, she showcased her cleaning her rifle, sending the church a donation, and a caption simply stating, “[A]s for me and my household…I will honor and bless my church.”
