Court documents identify Houston megachurch shooter and say AR-style rifle was used in attack

By Juan Lozano, Acacia Coronado And Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press on February 12, 2024.

HOUSTON (AP) – The shooter who opened fire at Texas megachurch before they was killed by security officers was carrying an AR-style rifle, according to search warrant documents released by a prosecutor’s office on Monday.

The shooter was identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonna Moreno in an affidavit seeking a search warrant for a home in Conroe, about 40 miles (64.37 kilometers) north of Houston. The warrant was released by the Montgomery County district attorney’s office.

A motive for the attack at celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church that sent worshippers rushing for safety in between busy services on Sunday remains unclear.

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 and a man in his 50s were injured in the shooting.