By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
Texas authorities have identified the person who entered Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston Sunday as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who was originally from El Salvador.
Moreno also had apparently at one time used the name Jeffrey Escalante Moreno, and authorities on Monday corrected some earlier misinformation that initially said the shooter was transgender. Moreno was the biological mother of the 7-year-old youngster who was gravely wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
Moreno was fatally shot by two off-duty law enforcement officers after firing several shots from a semiautomatic rifle. According to Fox News, Moreno reportedly has a long criminal history which includes convictions for assaulting a police officer and forgery.
CNN noted Moreno entered the church with the child, and quickly opened fire. A motive for the shooting is unknown, but Moreno reportedly had written “Palestine” on the rifle, identified as an AR-15. Initial reports said the words “Free Palestine” were on the buttstock but the Houston Chronicle correct that Monday afternoon.
The investigation reportedly involves several agencies including the Texas Rangers, FBI, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, and the Conroe and Houston police departments.
According to CNN, the two off-duty officers involved in the shooting were a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.
The shooting broke out at about 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Chronicle said Houston police concluded Moreno acted alone. She reportedly had a history of mental health issues. Not only was Moreno armed with the AR-15, she also had a .22-caliber rifle in a backpack. At least one of the guns was legally purchased, the newspaper noted. That was confirmed by KTRK News, the local ABC affiliate. Investigators are now trying to determine how Moreno legally purchased either of the guns, considering the apparent criminal and mental health history.
Moreno is said to have been 36 years old.
One 57-year-old man was wounded in the shooting, but he was released from the hospital.
CNN noted that Moreno had “used several aliases” both male and female.
What this story is revealing above all else is that several news agencies got their initial facts all wrong, and spent much of Monday afternoon correcting earlier reports.
