The Houston Police Department on Monday released security and body-worn camera footage of the officer-involved shooting on February 11 at the Lakewood Church in Houston.
Assistant Chief Keith Seafous of the Houston Police Department said the video is intended to provide the public with information about the shooting. The video is taken from the church’s security camera footage, which does not have audio, and includes footage from several officers’ body-worn cameras that include audio.
Warning: this video contains graphic content that may be disturbing to some viewers.
Police released around 25 minutes of combined footage. The entire incident, from beginning to end, was less than four minutes. The shooter, Genesse Ivone Moreno, had a history of criminal behavior and mental health problems but legally purchased the rifle used in the shooting.
Moreno was killed in the incident. Her son suffered a bullet to the head and is still in critical condition in an area hospital. Another man was shot in the hip and was treated and released from the hospital, according to reporting by The Dallas Express.
Outside security footage shows the moment that shooting suspect Genesse Ivonne Moreno exits a white SUV wearing a beige trench coat and carrying a backpack. She can be seen removing her son from the vehicle’s back seat. The boy, who investigators identified as Samuel Carranza, 7, was wearing a yellow shirt and orange pants.
Video from inside the lobby of the church shows Moreno entering the building. It appears she is concealing a rifle under the trench coat. Additional footage from the church shows Moreno attempting to open a door that investigators say leads to the church sanctuary, but the door is locked.
The security footage then shows people running for cover as several security officers move into position and begin making their way toward Moreno, who is off-camera at this point in the footage. The footage then shows Moreno entering a large hallway without her son. She begins to remove items from the backpack, which police later say contained a second rifle. The video appears to show bullets impacting the wall behind Moreno, who is continuing to remove items from the bag.
More bullet strikes can be seen shortly after Moreno falls face-down on the ground. She then attempts to get back up, still holding a rifle, before more bullet impacts can be seen, and Moreno falls backward.
Body-worn camera footage captures the sound of rapid gunfire believed to be from Moreno, who can be heard telling officers to stop shooting because she has a bomb. She can also be heard saying that officers “killed her son” and saying she “needs help.”
Carranza has been hospitalized since the shooting and has undergone five brain surgeries. The boy’s grandmother told Chron that the boy was taken off a ventilator on February 24 and is breathing on his own but is still in critical condition. She says that he was shot twice in the head and will likely need additional surgeries.
One of the body cameras captured the moment when the shooting began. The footage was recorded by HPD officer Garcia, who was standing in a hallway when the incident began. In the video, Garcia can be heard praying for the officers. After finding the boy, Garcia said a prayer over him.
“Father God, just be with us. Forgive us our sins,” Garcia prayed. “Father God, please bring him close to you,” Garcia said after finding the boy lying in the hallway. “You’re good, you’re good, you’re good, it’s OK.”
The two officers who were directly involved in the shooting have been commended by Houston Mayor John Whitmire, as reported by Houston Public Media, who said during a city council meeting that the situation could have been much worse were it not for the officer’s bravery.
