Bodycam footage from the Lakewood Church shooting shows multiple off-duty officers working on the church security team engaging a 36-year-old would-be mass murderer. The attacker, reportedly a Muslim transgendered woman named Genesse Moreno, brought a rifle with “Free Palestine” written on it.
Ultimately, the church security team shot and killed the woman, who was an illegal alien with a criminal history and mental problems.
Tragically, the social misfit terrorist also brought her 7-year-old son Samuel. He took a round to the head that was apparently fired from the security team.
While it’s always easier to Monday morning quarterback a dangerous situation after the fact, particularly if you weren’t the one in the middle of the fire fight, there are some takeaways every police officer, security team member and, simply put, gun owner who carries a gun for self defense can walk away from after watching the video of the attack and ensuing shootout at Lakewood Church. In the videos released, it appears at least one of the Houston cops did not quite rise to the level of training needed to handle such a situation. Far from it. Specifically, the bodycam from “Officer Moreno” (yes, the officer shared the same last name as the shooter) showed a poorly-trained officer struggling to properly hold his gun.
Moreover, “Officer Moreno” didn’t exactly aggressively engage the perp. To the contrary, it was almost as if he was hiding from the homicidal attacker. His barricade tactics seemed nonexistent as well. He’s lucky he didn’t get killed.
You can watch for yourself. Here’s the video on Twitter.
🚨 BREAKING: Houston police have released the body-worn camera footage of the Texas megachurch shooting where an armed Hispanic woman with pro-Palestine beliefs attempted a mass murder. PIC.TWITTER.COM/XYEMU4NIXP
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) February 26, 2024
And YouTube:
ABC7Chicago has more about the video:
HOUSTON, Texas — Eyewitness News is going through newly released videos showing the moments before and during Genesse Moreno’s shooting rampage inside Lakewood Church earlier this month.
The Feb. 11 shooting occurred as the 36-year-old woman entered the megachurch, opened fire, and was confronted by two off-duty officers – one from Houston police, the other from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission – who returned fire and shot Moreno dead.
Moreno brought her 7-year-old son Samuel, who suffered a gunshot to the head during the exchange and was treated since the ordeal with critical injuries.
In ABC13’s first-glance review, Moreno, clad in a long coat, parks her car by the curb of the church entrance and walks in with her son. Inside the church, a camera, not picking up audio, captures her entering with parishioners in the concourse before walking out of view. Those parishioners suddenly scramble as a uniformed officer is seen taking cover.
Moreno then reenters the frame, holding a long gun without her son. Then, the officers return fire, and Moreno falls to the ground.
Houston police released footage from two of its officers who were at Lakewood Church as well as video from a Harris County Sheriff’s Office deputy. It showed officers crouching with handguns out amid the sounds of repeated, loud gunshots.
Praise the Lord and then some that Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church had a security team. They successfully engaged the would-be spree killer early in her attack and before any churchgoers were harmed. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen as decisively as would have been optimal as her son was critically wounded.
Hopefully the incident, and the video from it will help motivate the Lakewood Church security team to bone up on training. Ditto for church security teams nationwide. And the lesson to all gun owners who carry to be prepared in the event of being attacked, training is as important as simply carrying the gun. Because when the brown stuff hits the fan, people don’t rise to the occasion, they default to their training and the muscle memory that comes with it.
