Photo: Corbis News
A woman who opened fire during a Spanish-language service at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, was fatally shot by a pair of off-duty police officers.
Authorities said the woman, identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, stormed into the church wearing a trench coat and armed with a long gun that had the word Palestine written on it.
She was accompanied by her seven-year-old son, who was injured in the shooting and is in critical condition. The boy is not expected to survive. It is unclear who fired the shot that struck the boy.
In addition, a 57-year-old man was shot in the leg. No information has been released about his condition.
A Houston police officer and a Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent confronted the woman, who also claimed to have a bomb, and shot her.
“I want to commend those officers. She had a long gun, and it could have been a lot worse,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner said. “But they stepped up, and they did their job, and I want to thank them for that.”
Authorities searched the woman and her vehicle but did not find a bomb. However, they did appear to find bomb-making materials in her home.
Investigators have not identified a motive for the shooting.