The shooter who opened fire at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Houston before being killed by security officers was carrying an AR-style rifle, according to search warrant documents obtained by CBS News. The shooter was identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno in an affidavit seeking a search warrant for a home in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston.
A motive for the attack at the Texas megachurch that sent worshippers rushing for safety in between busy services on Sunday remains unclear. A livestream from the church captured the moment gunshots could be heard just ahead of a Spanish-language service.
The search warrant affidavit requested FBI assistance in retrieving any data from electronic devices found in the home.
Authorities have said a 5-year-old boy who entered the church with the shooter and a man in his 50s were injured in the shooting. Authorities said the boy was in critical condition.
The shooter entered the church in a trenchcoat and started to fire before two off-duty officers working church security fired back, police said.
Officials said it wasn’t clear who fired the shot that hit the child.
The shooter threatened having an explosive, but the bomb squad didn’t find anything, police said.
“It could’ve been a lot worse,” Osteen told reporters during a news conference after the shooting.
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