The Lakewood Shooter Identified As a Female
According to Houston Police Department officials, despite using multiple aliases, including the name Jeffrey Escalante, the individual who opened fire at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church on Sunday, ultimately being shot dead by off-duty police officers, consistently identified as female and was described as mentally troubled.
Commander of Homicide Christopher Hassig clarified, "Our shooter is identified by a driver's license as Genesee Moreno, a 36-year-old Hispanic female. There are some discrepancies. We do have reports she used multiple aliases, including Jeffrey Escalante. So she has utilized both male and female names but through all of our investigation to this point, talking with individuals, interviews, documents, Houston Police Department reports, she has been identified this entire time as female."
The police noted that some media outlets had referred to Moreno as a transgender woman, but according to their investigations, she consistently identified as female. Moreno had a history of prior arrests dating back to 2005, including charges such as unlawful carrying of a weapon, evading arrest, and assault on a public official, to which she had pleaded guilty.
Regarding the shooting incident at Lakewood Church, Hassig recounted that Moreno arrived at the west side of the building at 1:53 p.m. on Sunday with a 7-year-old boy. After exiting her vehicle and taking the child and a bag with her, she confronted a security guard who allowed her entry to the church at 1:55 p.m. Once inside, she immediately began firing in a hallway.
Off-duty officers engaged Moreno in a gunfight, resulting in her and the child being shot. Moreno was pronounced dead at 2:07 p.m., while the child remains in critical condition at a local hospital.
The investigation revealed that Moreno fired at the officers using an AR-15 rifle adorned with a sticker stating "Palestine." Hassig also mentioned that Moreno had a documented history of mental illness and an ongoing dispute with her ex-husband, who is Jewish, which might have contributed to her motives for the attack.
In addition to Moreno's death, a 57-year-old man was injured during the gunfight but has since been released from the hospital. Houston Police Chief Troy Finner requested prayers for the injured child and all those affected by the shooting, including the Lakewood Church community.
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