by WorldTribune Staff / 247 Real News February 12, 2024
The individual who opened fire inside Joel Osteen’s Lakewood, Texas church on Sunday has been identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, a biological male who identified as a transgender woman.
Moreno’s weapon was emblazoned with the slogan “Free Palestine.”
Moreno, 36, was shot and killed by off-duty officers at the church.
Moreno, who went by Jeffrey Escalante Moreno, among other aliases, was from El Salvador. The child Moreno brought to the church was shot and injured. The child remains in critical condition in a local hospital. A 57-year-old man was also shot in the leg and taken to a hospital for treatment.
Detectives believe Moreno fired as many as 12 shots, according to a law enforcement official briefed on the investigation.
Moreno allegedly threatened that she had a bomb when she entered the church, police said. Officials searched her car and backpack but nothing was found. She also appeared to be spraying an unknown substance, authorities said.
The shooting erupted shortly before the Houston church’s 2 p.m. Spanish service was set to begin. Moreno entered the enormous Lakewood Church – a building with a 16,000-person capacity that was previously an arena for the NBA’s Houston Rockets – with the young boy who would be wounded amid the gunfire.
KHOU-TV further reported that Moreno “had prior arrests for assault, forgery, marijuana possession, theft, evading, and unlawful carrying weapon.”
🚨 BREAKING: Lakewood Church shooter identified as a transgender, legal name Genesse Moreno but went by the name “Jeffrey.” 🚨 pic.twitter.com/0gmgybgOLC
— Sara Gonzales (@SaraGonzalesTX) February 12, 2024
Joel Osteen speaks about the shooting that occurred at his church:
“There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us, the forces of God are stronger than that.” pic.twitter.com/Kgp1HOaYK8
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) February 11, 2024
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