Lakewood Church in Houston has resumed in-person services following the shooting last weekend.
On the afternoon of February 11, during a Spanish service, 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno entered the church with her 7-year-old son Samuel and opened fire on attending churchgoers with a long rifle. Two off-duty police officers shot and neutralized Moreno shortly after the onslaught began. The child and a man in his 50s were injured during the exchange of gunfire, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Congregants returned to the church for in-person services on February 18. Pastor Joel Osteen described the officers’ response during the shooting as miraculous.
“The thing that hits me is that the officer that helped to neutralize her was really a hero,” said Osteen, per WFAA. “And it was a miracle that he stepped up because she had this big, long weapon, and he didn’t have that. I mean, that was certainly a miracle.”
Osteen said this most recent service focused on healing following the shooting.
“Our message is we’re here to help you heal, to begin that process,” said Osteen, per WFAA. “And I know, sometimes that memory and that trauma can just try to pull you back, but I believe God’s gonna help them and help us to be able to help them in a greater way.”
Osteen confirmed that the church has reached out to the Moreno family but has not yet received a response.
Some members of the congregation said they were happy to return to the location.
“There is no reason to fear here. I’m here to support not just my pastor but the vision of Lakewood,” said Danyelle Judie, a congregation member, according to WFAA.
Houston Police Chief Troy Finner spoke at a media briefing Sunday afternoon after the service, commending officers for their response, the local community, and the church for their resilience.
“This is a strong and powerful congregation, and we’re a strong and powerful city, and we’re just moving forward, and we’ll keep moving forward together in prayer,” Finner said in the conference.
While no details on the progress of the investigation were shared, Finner confirmed that the motive of the shooter is still unknown. He also reiterated that the injuries the child sustained were the fault of the shooter for putting him in that situation and asked that the community continue to pray for him and his family.
“You may not never know the true motive but we want to determine that to help us in responding and not so much responding, but preventing the next tragedy because that’s really the success,” said Finner.
The Houston Police Department will be releasing body camera footage of the shooting within 30 days, but the footage is currently still under review.
