Metro
Palestinian Link Emerges In Joel Osteen Church Shooting
![Moreno on Osteen Church shooting](https://gwg.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/1_1707767717.png)
The Identity of the woman who opened fire at Joel Osteen’s Houston Church on Sunday, has been discovered with the name, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, after authorities revealed that “Free Palestine” was written on the gun she used in the attack.
The 36-year-old Moreno entered Lakewood Church just before a Spanish language service was due to begin at 2 p.m. with a boy, believed to be about 4 or 5 years old, and opened fire as hundreds of people were taking their pews.
Two off-duty officers working security at the church — a Houston cop and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission — returned fire and fatally shot Moreno, which led to her fatal death Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Sunday. The boy was also shot and has been hospitalized in critical condition. The boy’s relationship to Moreno is yet unknown at the time of this report.
According to reports, before Moreno died from her injuries, she poured an unknown substance on the floor and told officers that there was a bomb, but search of the area found no explosives.
Recall that Moreno has a criminal history dating back to 2005 and was previously arrested under the name Jeffery Escalante, according to local station KHOU, raising questions over whether the shooter was transitioning either before or at the time of the attack. A 2022 photo taken when Moreno was booked into jail at Fort Bend County in Texas listed her sex as female, according to the website Mugshots Zone.
While law enforcement told ABC about Moreno’s gun’s being daubed with “Free Palestine,” a motive in the shooting remains unclear, and police are still investigating.
Investigators are also reviewing Moreno’s history of arrests, as they believe she has a record, law enforcement said.
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