HOUSTON — The shooter who opened fire at a Texas megachurch on Sunday before being killed by security officers had a history of mental illness and used an AR-style rifle in the attack that also critically injured their 7-year-old son, authorities said Monday.
Genesse Ivonne Moreno was identified by Houston Police Commander Chris Hassig as the shooter at Lakewood Church during a news conference.
Hassig noted that Moreno, 36, sometimes used both male and female aliases, but investigators determined through interviews and past police reports that Moreno identified as female.
Hassig and others said Moreno had a history of mental illness, including being placed under emergency detention in 2016, but provided no additional details.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said it remained too soon to identify a motive for the shooting, but officials said they were looking into a dispute involving Moreno and the family of Moreno’s ex-husband, adding that investigators also found antisemitic writings by the shooter.
Hassig also said Moreno’s rifle had a “Palestine” sticker on the buttstock. He described Moreno as a “lone wolf” who was not acting as any part of a larger group.
According to investigators, Moreno and the boy entered the church building at 1:55 p.m. after Moreno pointed a gun at an unarmed security guard and began firing once inside.
The guards inside the building — off-duty Houston police Officer Christopher Moreno and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Agent Adrian Herrera — returned fire and killed Genesse Moreno.
Both officers discharged their weapons, but investigators do not yet know if Moreno’s son was accidentally shot by one of them, Finner said. The boy remained in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, authorities said.
