Plumber who found stashed money at Joel Osteen's Lakewood church awarded $20,000
USA TodayNov 30, 2021
One Killed, Two Wounded in Houston Megachurch Shooting
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The Facts
A woman opened fire inside celebrity preacher Joel Osteen's megachurch in Houston, Texas on Sunday, before being shot and killed by off-duty police officers. Two other people were injured in the shooting including a young boy who is now in critical condition.
The woman, identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, entered the church alongside her seven-year-old son, who was shot in the head and critically injured in the exchange of gunfire between Moreno and authorities. It's not yet known who fired the shot that injured the boy.
The Spin
Narrative A
Thanks to the quick action of two off-duty law enforcement officers, the suspect was stopped before she was able to cause more damage. Had the shooting occurred during a busier church service, or had law enforcement not acted so quickly, this shooting could have ended up much worse than it did. Although a child was injured in this incident, the person to blame is the mother, who chose to bring her innocent child with her when she went to perpetrate senseless violence.
Narrative B
Moreno was a disturbed individual with a well-documented history of mental health issues. She should never have been able to legally obtain a firearm, yet she did, and two people were injured as a result. She should have been on local law enforcement's radar since she was placed on an emergency mental health detention in 2016. Lawmakers and police need to work proactively to keep weapons out of the hands of dangerous and disturbed individuals so tragedies like this don't happen.