HOUSTON (news agencies) — A shooter’s motive for opening fire in celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch remained unclear Monday as authorities searched the suspect’s home in suburban Houston and identified the weapon used in the attack as an AR-style rifle.
The house in Conroe, Texas, is more than 50 miles (80 kilometers) north of Lakewood Church, where Sunday’s shooting in between busy services sent worshippers scrambling to find safety.
The shooter was identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, according to an affidavit seeking a search warrant released by the Montgomery County district attorney’s office. Police say Moreno was shot and killed by two off-duty officers working security at the church, one of the largest megachurches in the U.S.
Two other people were shot and wounded, including the shooter’s young son, who entered the church with them.
Here’s what to know about the shooting:
The sound of gunshots inside the massive church, which was formerly the home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, startled worshippers just before 2 p.m. Sunday, around the time many people were getting ready to watch the Super Bowl later.
Houston police Chief Troy Finner said at a news conference Sunday that the shooter entered the church wearing a trenchcoat and backpack and armed with a long rifle.
Finner said the shooter entered the church with the young boy but did not describe their relationship. The suspect began shooting and was confronted by two off-duty officers, a Houston police officer and an agent with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission, who returned fire.