On Sunday, February 11th, an unknown shooter opened fire into Joel Osteen’s Megachurch. The shooter was identified as 36-year old Genesse Ivonne Moreno. They entered the church with a child estimated to be 4-5 years old and opened fire on innocent people. The woman was shot and killed by two off-duty officers. During the gunfire, the child was struck and is currently in critical condition, while a man named Tom George Thomas was hit and is currently stable. 

Thomas was struck in the leg and was given medical treatment at a nearby hospital and has been released. According to an article written by Juan A. Lozano with apnews.com, “Houston police Chief Troy Finner said 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.” (February 12)

According to Christina Maxouris, Lauren Mascarenhas and John Miller with CNN.com, “Records from the Texas Department of Public Safety show Moreno had a string of arrests for minor offenses over the last two decades, including possession of marijuana, an assault, illegal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and a forgery charge. But in her 30s, she described herself on social media as the founder of a real-estate and financial services firm. By her own account on social media pages, she is involved in sales of everything from new condos to shopping malls.” (February 13)

Further investigation revealed that she had a yellow rope very similar to a detonation cord and substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices. A motive for the crime is unclear at this time.