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

The shooter who opened fire at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston before being killed by security officers had two rifles at the Texas megachurch but only used one, police said Monday. The shooter was identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who had a history of mental health issues, police said during a news conference.

A motive for the attack that sent worshippers rushing for safety in between busy services on Sunday remains unclear, officials said. The shooter used an AR-15 rifle in the shooting.

“There was a sticker on the buttstock of the rifle that stated Palestine,” Houston Police Commander Christopher Hassig told reporters. He later said investigators believe the shooter acted alone.

Police recovered antisemitic writings in their investigation and believe there was a dispute between the shooter’s ex-husband and the ex-husband’s family, some of whom are Jewish, Hassig said.

The shooter also had a .22-caliber rifle in a bag that wasn’t used in the shooting, Hassig said.

Authorities said a 7-year-old boy who entered the church with the shooter and a man in his 50s were injured in the shooting. Authorities said the boy was in critical condition and is the shooter’s son.

A livestream from the church captured the moment gunshots could be heard just ahead of a Spanish-language service.

The shooter entered the church in a trenchcoat and started to fire before two off-duty officers working church security fired back, police said.

Officials said it wasn’t clear who fired the shot that hit the child.

The shooter threatened having an explosive, but the bomb squad didn’t find anything, police said.

“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Osteen told reporters during a news conference after the shooting.

An affidavit seeking a search warrant for a home in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston requested FBI assistance in retrieving any data from electronic devices found in the home.