The Houston Police Department (HPD) on Monday released new footage revealing the horrifying moments leading up to the shooting at Texas pastor Joel Osteen's megachurch.
On February 11, Houston-based Lakewood Church was attacked by a 36-year-old female gunman, Janeth Yvonne Moreno, injuring a 57-year-old man and Moreno's 7-year-old son. HPD released approximately 27 minutes of footage leading up to Moreno's attack, including footage from multiple security cameras and officers' body camera angles. (Related: Officials say gunman who attacked Joel Osteen's megachurch had a 'Palestine' sticker on his gun)
The video begins with a surveillance camera angle showing Moreno wearing a trench coat and carrying a blue backpack on his shoulder. Moreno's son is also seen walking alongside Moreno, wearing what appears to be orange pants and a yellow shirt.
Surveillance camera footage does not include audio, but it shows Moreno walking past several people into the lobby area. Moments later, as Moreno turns away from the camera, church attendees can be seen looking in the direction Moreno walked before hiding and running away.
In a close-up shot from a surveillance camera, Moreno appears to try to open a door in a corner of the church, but appears to be unsuccessful as he retreats into the open lobby. Officers apparently fired shots at the woman, but when her son tried to take cover behind a wall, the woman apparently returned fire. One shot shows Moreno's son reaching out to her mother and then following her mother out into the lobby as authorities fire at her.
One of the officers' body camera videos showed the camera capturing the moments before Moreno allegedly opened fire inside the building. A group of people could be seen talking in a circle with officers before shots rang out inside the church.
“What is that?” the policeman said, running towards the sound. As the gunfire continued, churchgoers could be seen walking past officers, along with nearby security personnel, shouting for the doors to close.
“Father God, just be with us. Forgive us our sins,” the officer finally said as he approached.
An overview video can be found here. https://t.co/Rck2IWC0t7
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— Houston Police Department (@houtonpolice) February 26, 2024
Body camera footage from another officer who appeared to be close to Moreno during the incident showed a woman yelling that she had a bomb.
“I'm going to blow up the whole damn place. You killed my son!” Moreno yelled. “Stand back, I've got a bomb. I've got a hell of a bomb. Calm down, all I need is help.”
Moreno was reportedly eventually killed by two off-duty police officers, with footage showing her son lying on the floor under crossfire. Authorities immediately rushed to the child's rescue and called emergency services.
After the incident, Moreno's son was taken to a local hospital where he was reported to be in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head. The 7-year-old boy is still recovering. New reports have since alleged that Moreno abused the child prior to the incident. according to Up to ABC13.
Authorities said the investigation into the incident remains ongoing, with evidence still being collected and analyzed.
