News

Child Critically Wounded In Church Shooting Is Son Of Shooter, ‘Anti-Semitic Writing’ Recovered: Police

   DailyWire.com
Child Critically Wounded In Church Shooting Is Son Of Shooter, ‘Anti-Semitic Writing’ Recovered: Police
Houston Chronicle via Getty Imag

The Houston Police Department confirmed Monday that the woman who opened fire at Lakewood Church in Houston had a documented “mental health history” and her son was the child injured in the shooting. Authorities also obtained “anti-Semitic writing” during their investigation into the shooting.

On Sunday afternoon, 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno* walked into Lakewood Church in Houston with a long gun and a young child and opened fire before being shot dead by law enforcement at the scene. During a press conference Monday afternoon, Houston PD Commander Chris Hassig said that Moreno “was put under an emergency detention order” in 2016 and “has a mental health history that is documented through us and through interviews with family members.”

The commander added that authorities recovered “anti-Semitic writing” and they believe there was “a familial dispute that has taken place between her ex-husband and her ex-husband’s family.”

Houston PD Chief Troy Finner said Moreno was the biological mother of a 7-year-old child who was shot during an exchange of gunfire between Moreno and two off-duty law enforcement officers. Finner added that the child is “fighting for his life” in critical condition, and a 57-year-old man who was also shot has since been released from the hospital.

Moreno, a woman, previously identified as Jeffrey Escalante, according to Texas Department of Public Safety records. She had a criminal history extending back nearly two decades to 2005 that included arrests for failure to stop and give information, assault of a public servant, assault causing bodily injury, forgery, possession of marijuana, theft, evading arrest, and unlawful carrying of a weapon.

Moreno opened fire in Joel Osteen’s mega-church, using an AR-15 with “Palestine” written on it, and authorities believe she acted as a “lone wolf” and was “not a part of a larger group.”

The shooting at Lakewood Church comes amid growing concern about recent mass shootings carried out by trans-identifying and “non-binary” shooters. One of the most prominent cases occurred last year when a woman who identified as a man entered a Christian school in Nashville and murdered three children and three adults before she was killed by responding police officers.

*Reports on mass shootings typically do not name the shooter under Daily Wire policy, but in this case, the shooter’s name is a vital part of law enforcement records and thus necessary to the clear reporting of this story. 

Create a free account to join the conversation!

Already have an account?

Log in

Got a tip worth investigating?

Your information could be the missing piece to an important story. Submit your tip today and make a difference.

Submit Tip
Download Daily Wire Plus

Don't miss anything

Download our App

Stay up-to-date on the latest
news, podcasts, and more.

Download on the app storeGet it on Google Play
The Daily Wire   >  Read   >  Child Critically Wounded In Church Shooting Is Son Of Shooter, ‘Anti-Semitic Writing’ Recovered: Police
Daily Wire Plus
Facts and headlines on the go.
Download the Daily Wire app.
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
Download App QR CodeScan the QR Code to Download
FacebookXInstagramYouTubeRSS
Daily Wire PlusFacts and headlines on the go.
Download the Daily Wire app.
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play
© Copyright 2025, The Daily Wire LLC  | Terms | Privacy
Podcast compliance badge