Screen cap by Boch via YouTube.

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.

Screen capture by Boch via YouTube.

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.

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.

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46 COMMENTS

    • “Lucky there weren’t more casualties.”

      Kind of stupid to try a mass-shooting at a mega-church, they take armed security seriously…

    • Brian,

      Watch the full 22-minute (or thereabouts) linked YouTube video. ALL security personnel responded poorly, very poorly. Some of the lowlights:

      — Psycho shot several times before most/all security personnel started moving.
      — Most security personnel avoided/hid.
      — Security personnel moved about in open (did not use concealment cover).
      — The one security person who did engage the shooter failed to close the distance.
      — Security personnel failed to clear the area in spite of psycho’s bomb threat.
      — Security personnel appeared focused on psycho and failed to look for more threats.

      What I saw in that video was NOT serious security in my opinion.
      Rather, it was security theater. If two armed attackers with a modicum of skill, training, and determination had entered that church with semi-auto rifles, it would have been a blood bath with dozens of wounded/dead victims.

  3. WTF is a “transgendered woman”? Was it a man suffering from gender dysphoria and wanting to be a woman? I’m sick of society masking mental illness with poilically correct terms. These people are mentally ill and need to be treated, not coddled. Now a child is shot in the head because of it.

    • In this case, a cisgender woman who had used male aliases when committing crimes several years ago but otherwise never identified as a man. Close enough for those who want to push a narrative.

      • “Cisgender” is not a real thing. It’s a made up term by freaks to make them look like just another orientation instead of the freaks they are.

      • Born a woman. Had a baby with a biological male father. That’s a woman by my book and I’m not even a biologist. By the looks of the many photos I have seen of her she was on some sort of testosterone formula at one point as the later pics show a formerly feminine face twisted all out of shape physiologically along with bad acne and other skin issues. Those trans drugs messed up her face as well as her head.

    • Nearly all the MSM is reporting this individual as a woman, and referring to him as “her” due to the trans component. But his historical name is actually Jeffrey Escalante Moreno. The name “Genesse” is (was) his chosen moniker after going the trans route.

      So, to clarify…this deceased individual was male. The MSM has been reporting him as a female.

      The coroner will – by biology – enter the body into record as male. If the body is ever exhumed in the far future from now by our descendants, the chromosomal structure will be examined and considered male.

      But today, our friends at the MSM are reporting that a male who had a lengthy history of mental issues was a “she” as part of the factual record, simply because that individual with mental issues wanted to be called a “she”. Even though he was a “he”. But who follows the science anymore, amirite?

      Unless they’re trying to force us to wear masks and get jabbed. The it’s all about following the science. Or whatever.

        • Every MSM source I’ve read refers to the shooter as “her”, but the handful of independent or non-MSM ones state “him” and mention his background as a male.

          I guess it’s a toss-up for what the truth really is. Things gets convoluted when they get “transed”.

        • It can be confusing because the reporting isn’t always clear, including on TTAG. Haz, we worked through this in a previous article. She’s a woman. She really is that poor kid’s biological mother. I haven’t seen any evidence of her being “tranz” other than that masculine name she previously used for some reason. I could have been an alias used when committing crimes, like SV said.

        • “Haz, we worked through this in a previous article.”

          I only read perhaps 1/4 of the articles on TTAG nowadays, so I’m not aware of all the conversations anymore. Over the past year, I’ve gone from reading everything here for several years running, commenting regularly for much of it, to only bits and pieces now. TTAG is not what it used to be. It has potential, and I still enjoy reading some of the articles, but the content style has largely changed, and the comment section moderation is too unpredictable and sometimes heavy.

          I no longer follow all the conversations closely.

        • Just visited the site today for the first time, as a result of you bringing it to my attention. Thx.

          Looks like this is where Dan went? I see Grace, Jennifer, et al as well. Perhaps I should have already known this, but again…I don’t come here to TTAG nearly as much anymore.

  4. The Moreno cop guy was worthless. He probably needs a new line of work. Poorly trained indeed.

  5. “The attacker, reportedly a Muslim transgendered woman named Genesse Moreno, brought a rifle with “Free Palestine” written on it.”

    Any word on how the kid is doing?

    • Part has been published by a ‘leaker’ in LE, and it is pretty much as expected… 🙁

  7. The author said that the security/LEO was struggling to hold his weapon properly. I’m not so sure. He was certainly shifting it from hand to hand, but maybe he’s ambidextrous. I wish I was. I have a friend that is. At least when it comes to shooting. Taught himself and is very good with that left hand. In fact, good enough to be a sniper on an FDLE SWAT team and their lead firearms instructor. I was always happy to just qualify weak hand.

    • “He was certainly shifting it from hand to hand, but maybe he’s ambidextrous. I wish I was.”

      Same here, when I have tried, every part of me is screaming WRONG! and I suck at it 🙁

      • I always work my left when I shoot. I also spend time one handing it.

        At legit self defense ranges with a handgun I can just about promise all hits on the torso left handed. It will look like a shotgun pattern, but it will be there.

        Do not ask me to make head shots left handed. If I’m reduced to left handed for whatever reason I am retreating as quickly as possible.

  8. I did like that the “assault rifle” used was described as a “long gun” when the media discovered that the shooter had free Palestine written on the rifle.

    • “…the media discovered that the shooter had free Palestine written on the rifle.”

      Big mistake attacking a Pentecostal church, they *love* their guns. ‘Free Palestine’ racked up no kills… 🙂

  9. In “moderation”
    I’m not surprised. It does seem that “the system” really can’t handle the truth.

  10. Disarm, the police issue them night sticks and the train to use them or issue them. Orissue them a leather slap as well including the training to use it.

    There is no rational or moral reason for the police to have firearms.

    Police officers must first demonstrate. They have the a strong moral character to be issued a side arm.

    • edit
      Disarm, the police issue them night sticks and the training to use them. Or issue them a leather slap. As well as the training to use it.

      There is no rational or moral reason for the police to have firearms.

      Police officers must first demonstrate. They have a strong moral character to be issued a side arm.

      I hate auto correct!!!

  11. There is no reason why you can’t carry a long gun on your person, during a church service. You just have to dress properly in order to conceal it. Or you can open carry.

    Also “bracing” your pistol is an option. They are easy to conceal as well.

    From 2018

    AR-15s Are Biblical ‘Rod Of Iron’ At Pennsylvania Church

    “Sreymom Ouk, 41, who attended the ceremony with her husband, Sort Ouk, and an AR-15, told the AP that she needed the weapon to defend her family against “sickos and evil psychopaths.”

    https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/01/589808670/ar-15s-are-biblical-rod-of-iron-at-pennsylvania-church

  12. Hispanic with pro-Palestine;
    illegal alien with a criminal history and mental problems
    Muslim transgendered not a woman

    How does the MSM not have big endless love for this nutter.

  13. Quality of training is probably good.

    Quality of people they hire probably not so much. Lots of Diversity Inclusion Equity types probably slithered their way through school and anything else they were supposed to learn at about 70%.

    Excellence in minimum standards!

    • This mentally ill terrorist/killer-creature had a lengthy criminal history – string of arrests for offenses over the last two decades, including possession of marijuana, an assault, illegal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest and a forgery charge.

      Apparently there was a bitter custody battle going on between Moreno and representatives for her ex-spouse’s family, and an on going dispute of some other type between Moreno and her ex-husband and ex-husband’s family some of whom are Jewish.

      The mental illness, she was taking medication for schizophrenia and had been diagnosed with a type of schizophrenia that caused her to become violent.

      Note: The majority of people with schizophrenia never become violent although those with schizophrenia do have an increased tendency toward violent behaviors of some type known to be associated with schizophrenia. But there is a category of these that will for a fact become violent in some manner and Moreno was diagnosed with this particular version of schizophrenia. Which is interesting, because: All of the mass/school shooters (for the last 40 years) that lived that were actually diagnosed for mental health issues by a mental health professional either before or after their heinous acts were diagnosed with violent traits known to be associated with this same version of violent schizophrenia as Moreno had or were diagnosed directly as having this same violent version Moreno had. And those mass/school shooters (for the last 40 years) who died, an examination of their lives (including any mental health professional interaction) revealed traits known to be associated with this same version of violent schizophrenia or were directly diagnosed at some point by a mental health professional with this same version of violent schizophrenia as Moreno had, including the Nashville trans shooter.

  15. He/She/It reminded me of Patty Hearst by the way It was holding the rifle. Using the kid as both a diversion and human shield was pretty sick.

    • HEGEMON,

      In addition to using the child as a diversion, her speech was incredibly deceptive as well. She yelled out that she simply needed help. (I can only imagine that was to lure defenders into close range for execution.) She also yelled out (falsely) that she had a bomb.

  16. The response of the officers in this is exactly why I carry. What a bunch of cowards. Only the suits advanced and one of them wasn’t even armed. The other officers were all content to hide while, for all they knew, citizens were dying (fortunately that was not the case).

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