HOUSTON — We've learned more about the Conroe woman who was shot and killed Sunday after walking into Lakewood Church and opening fire.
On Monday, Houston police confirmed the shooter was Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, and the child who was shot was her 7-year-old son.
Moreno was wearing a trench coat and a backpack when she threatened an unarmed security guard with an AR-15 before entering Lakewood with the child. She immediately opened fire in the westside hallway and got into a shootout with two law enforcement officers working security at the church.
The TABC agent and HPD officer shot and killed Moreno.
During the gun battle, the little boy was shot in the head. He was still in critical condition and fighting for his life when we checked on him Monday afternoon.
A 57-year-old man, an innocent bystander, was also shot in the leg and he's been released from the hospital, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said Monday.
In new video obtained by KHOU 11 News, you hear the gunshots and see the chaos inside the church in the Greenway Plaza area, about six miles from downtown Houston.
Finner said they're still working to determine how Moreno got the weapons since she had a long rap sheet and a mental health history.
What we know about Genesse Moreno
- Armed with AR-15 with Palestine sticker on it
- Long arrest history dating back to 2005
- Mental health history, according to HPD
- Child who was shot at Lakewood was her son
- Prior links to Lakewood
We are still working to learn why Moreno chose Lakewood, but court documents uncovered by KHOU 11 News show she once attended the megachurch and so did her mother.
Lakewood staff may have also been questioned about Moreno during contentious divorce proceedings. Moreno’s ex-mother-in-law, Rabbi Walli Carranza, accused Moreno and her mother of keeping Moreno's child away from the father in 2022 divorce and custody proceedings.
During a news conference Monday, HPD said Moreno had a Palestine sticker on her AR-15 and they also found anti-Semitic writings that may also be linked to her ex-husband's family.
“We have uncovered some items, we do have some anti-Semitic writings that we have uncovered during this process.” Hassig said. “We do believe there was a dispute with her ex-husband and his family and some of them are Jewish."
Moreno had a long criminal history dating back to 2005 that included arrests for assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft, evading arrest and unlawful carrying weapon.
HPD Homicide Commander Christopher Hassig said she was put under emergency detention by HPD in 2016, the same year her son was born.
"We do believe that she does have a mental health history that is documented through us and through interviews with family members,” Hassig said.
Despite the mental health issues and criminal background, Moreno was able to buy the AR-15 in December. She was also armed with a .22 calibur rifle but she didn't fire it.
Moreno had used multiple aliases, including Jeffery Escalante, according to a Texas Department of Public Safety records search. HPD said they haven't found any evidence that she identified as anything but female.
Investigators believe Moreno was a "lone wolf" who acted alone.
Conroe home searched for explosives
Finner said before Moreno died, she mentioned she had a bomb. According to the search warrant obtained by KHOU 11 News, Moreno had a yellow rope and "substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices," which appeared to be a detonation cord.
The chief said a bomb squad searched the church and the vehicle and backpack and found no evidence of explosives.
Finner also said Moreno sprayed an unidentified substance on the ground. On Tuesday, Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena said the HAZMAT team tested it and determined it was a common product that posed no threat to anyone at the church or the surrounding area.
"I can safely say that there is no risk of exposure to any chemical or product that may have been present to anybody that was at the facility, at the church," Pena said at a news conference.
Sunday night, hours after the shooting, FBI agents and other law enforcement searched the home in Conroe where they said Moreno lived. According to the search warrant, authorities had reason to believe guns, ammunition and explosive materials might be inside because of the threats Moreno made at Lakewood.
We were there when they also towed a car from the home on GulfStream.