Info on church shooter reveals mental health issues, antisemitic writings

[KARAH RUCKER]

WE’RE LEARNING NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE SHOOTER RESPONSIBLE FOR ENTERING TELEVANGELIST JOEL OSTEEN’S LAKEWOOD CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND OPENING FIRE.

SHE WAS SHOT AND KILLED – TWO OTHERS INJURED INCLUDED A 7-YEAR-OLD BOY. LATER CONFIRMED TO BE HER SON.

WHILE THE MOTIVES OF 36-YEAR-OLD GENESSE MORENO REMAIN UNCLEAR – WE KNOW SHE HAD A DOCUMENTED HISTORY OF MENTAL ILLNESS. POLICE ALSO NOTED THAT SHE USED MULTIPLE MALE AND FEMALE ALIASES.

[COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER HASSIG | HOUSTON HOMICIDE DEPARTMENT]

“She was put under an emergency detention order by Houston police officers. We believe in 2016, we do believe that she does have a mental health history that is documented through us and through interviews with family members.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

FOLLOWING SUNDAY’S SHOOTING, INVESTIGATORS FOUND THAT THE AR-15 STYLE WEAPON USED WAS LEGALLY PURCHASED IN DECEMBER. THEY ALSO FOUND A .22-CALIBER RIFLE. 

ANSWERING QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTIVE, POLICE NOTED MORENO’S RECENT DOMESTIC INCIDENTS AND SOME ANTI-SEMITIC WRITINGS

COMMANDER CHRISTOPHER HASSIG | HOUSTON HOMICIDE DEPARTMENT

“There was a sticker on the stock of the rifle that stated Palestine sticker simply stated Palestine on the butt stock.”

I mentioned anti Semitic writing. We do believe that there was a familial dispute that has taken place between her ex-husband and her ex-husband’s family. And some of those individuals are of our Jewish. So we believe that that might possibly be where all of this stems from. 

[KARAH RUCKER]

ON MONDAY MORENO’S FORMER MOTHER-IN-LAW WALLI CARRANZA SPOKE EXCLUSIVELY WITH LOCAL NEWS AND SAID THERE WERE SO MANY WARNING SIGNS.

[WALLI CARRANZA | MOTHER-IN-LAW]
“We asked for help from CPS or child protective services, family services. We asked for help from the police and received it many times but she was still allowed to own guns.

[KARAH RUCKER]

IN 2022 COURT DOCUMENTS SHOW THAT CARRANZA UNSUCCESSFULLY PETITIONED TO BE THE CONSERVATOR FOR MORENO’S SON

CARRANZA LAID THE BLAME AT THE FEET OF STATE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS, SAYING: 

The fault lies in a child protective services of Montgomery County and Harris County that refused to remove custody from a woman with known mental illness that was not being treated and with the state of Texas for not having strong red flag laws that would have prevented her from owning or possessing a gun.

WHEN ASKED ON MONDAY IF THE SHOOTER HAD TIES TO THE CHURCH, THE POLICE CHIEF SAID THE MATTER WAS BEING INVESTIGATED.

A SOCIAL MEDIA POST REVEALED A SCREENSHOT OF A THANK-YOU LETTER FROM LAKEWOOD CHURCH TO MORENO FOR HER DONATION IN 2020.  

JOEL OSTEEN | PASTOR, LAKEWOOD CHURCH

“And it’s just you said that, Chief, It could have been a lot worse. Of course, we’re devastated. I mean, this is we’ve been here 65 years and have somebody shooting in your church. But, you know, we don’t understand why all these things happened, but we know God’s in control.”

[KARAH RUCKER]

SINCE 2005, MORENO WAS ARRESTED AT LEAST SIX TIMES. HER MOST RECENT ARREST WAS FOR UNLAWFULLY CARRYING A WEAPON IN 2022 THAT INVESTIGATION WAS OPEN AT THE TIME OF SUNDAY’S SHOOTING.