Police: Lakewood Church shooter had 'anti-semitic' writings
HOUSTON - In the first day after shots rang out inside Lakewood Church, investigators have been working non-stop, trying to find answers to what happened.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire is pledging total transparency, as the investigation unfolds, "You will know what we know, as we learn it."
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What investigators say they know, so far, is that 36-year-old Genesse Moreno parked her SUV at the church entrance at 1:53 p.m. Sunday, hiding two rifles under a trench coat, wearing a backpack, with her 7 year-old son in tow.
At the front door, she met a church security guard.
"She displayed, or possibly pointed a weapon at that security officer, and kind of forced her way in," says Houston Police Department Chief Troy Finner.
By 1:55 p.m., Moreno declared she had a bomb and opened fire inside the church lobby entrance. She was confronted by a TABC agent and HPD officer, both working as extra-duty security. They engaged the woman, and shot her dead.
"These two officers held their ground," says TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly. "They held their ground in the face of rifle fire at point blank range. They were a wall between worshipers and terror."
Inside the church, there were several hundred people ready for a service that was about to begin.
FOX 26 spoke with a man who was working in the sanctuary, when he heard the gunfire. He says he was shocked by the violence.
"Being inside of the church is like a place to be safe," he says. "It's supposed to be safe, and then, out of nowhere, we hear the gunshots. You don't know what to do in that situation."
Police have not found any connection between the church and Moreno, and don't know why she came.
Among their clues: a Palestine sticker on the butt of one of the two rifles she was carrying, and writings that investigators say are 'anti-semitic'.
"We do believe that there was a familial dispute that had taken place between her ex-husband and her ex-husband's family," says Houston Police Commander Christopher Hassig. "Some of those individuals are Jewish, so we believe that might be where all of this stems from."
Police do not characterize any specifics from those writings, but they are not calling the attack a 'hate crime' as they work to find more answers to what happened.
Meantime, Moreno's 7-year-old son, who was struck in the head by crossfire, remains in critical condition.
A 57-year-old man, who was shot in the hip, has since been released from the hospital.