The Houston Police Department (HPD) released new footage Monday revealing the horrifying moments leading to the shooting at Texas pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch.
The Houston-based Lakewood Church was attacked by a 36-year-old female alleged shooter, Genesse Ivonne Moreno, on Feb. 11 which resulted in injuring a 57-year-old man and Moreno’s 7-year-old son. The HPD released the nearly 27-minute-long footage, including multiple security cameras and officers’ bodycam angles leading up to Moreno’s alleged attack. (RELATED: Shooter Who Attacked Joel Osteen’s Megachurch Had ‘Palestine’ Sticker On Gun, Officials Say)
The footage begins with security camera angles capturing Moreno, wearing a trench coat and carrying a blue backpack on her shoulder. Moreno’s son is also shown as he walks alongside Moreno dressed in what appears to be orange pants and a yellow shirt.
While the security camera footage contains no audio, Moreno can be seen walking into the lobby area, passing a handful of people. Just moments later, as Moreno is off camera, church attendees can be seen looking in the direction where Moreno walked before running for cover.
In a wider shot of the security cameras, Moreno appears to attempt to open a door in a nook of the church but is apparently unsuccessful as she retreats into the open lobby. As officers appear to fire at the female, she appears to fire back as her son attempts to duck for cover behind a wall. In one shot Moreno’s son can be seen reaching for his mother before following her out into the open lobby as authorities appear to shoot at her.
In one of the officer’s bodycam videos, the camera captured moments before Moreno allegedly fired shots in the building. A group of people can be seen talking in a circle with the officers before a shot is heard echoing through the church.
“What is that?” the officer says as she runs towards the sound. As the gunfire continues, church attendees can be seen running past the officer screaming with security nearby telling others to shut down the doors.
“Father God, just be with us. Forgive us of our sins,” the officer eventually stated while attempting to approach.
A summary video can be viewed here: https://t.co/Rck2IWC0t7
All videos can be viewed here: https://t.co/aUSxx8XoTD
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— Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 26, 2024
Another officer’s bodycam footage, who appeared to be closer to Moreno during the incident, caught the woman yelling that she had a bomb.
“I will blow up the whole f*cking place. You killed my son!” Moreno shouted. “Stand down, I have a bomb. I have a f*cking bomb. Stay calm, all I need is help.”
Moreno was reportedly eventually killed by two off-duty police officers, and her son can be seen during the footage lying on the floor, apparently hit by crossfire. Authorities immediately rushed to the child’s aid, calling for emergency services.
Following the incident, Moreno’s son was taken to a local hospital and reported to be in critical condition with a bullet wound to the head. The 7-year-old boy is currently still recovering. Subsequent new reports alleged Moreno abused the child before the incident, according to ABC13.
Authorities said that the investigation into the incident is still ongoing as evidence is continually being collected and analyzed.
