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Lakewood shooting: Grandma shares update on 7-year-old shot at Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch

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Lakewood shooting: Grandma shares update on 7-year-old shot at Joel Osteen's Houston megachurch

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The 7-year-old boy shot at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church earlier this month is fighting for his life after multiple surgeries to his brain and skull, according to his grandmother. 

Shooter Genesse Ivonne Moreno, 36, entered the Houston megachurch around 2 p.m. with her own son, Samuel Moreno Carranza, before opening fire with an AR-15. The young boy and another man were critically wounded at the scene.

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The boy’s grandmother, Walli Carranza, wrote in a Wednesday Facebook post that “half of his right skull 1708619354 has to be surgically removed during two surgeries done in less than 24 hours.” 

LAKEWOOD CHURCH HOLDS HEALING AND PRAISE SERVICE A WEEK AFTER FATAL SHOOTING

Harris County Sheriffs officers stand outside of the Lakewood Church on Sunday, Feb. 11, in Houston, following the shooting. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

“He was in cardiac arrest multiple times and no one can determine whether he has significant brain activity because his scalp tissue is too friable to allow the attachment of EEG wires,” the boy’s grandmother wrote. 

Moreno’s second victim, a 57-year-old man, was shot in the leg but was in stable condition later that day, Houston Police Chief Troy Finner previously told Fox News Digital. 

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One of two armed, off-duty law enforcement officers working security at the church shot Moreno in a subsequent firefight – she would later succumb to her injuries. 

It is unclear whether the boy was shot by his mother or the security guards trying to subdue her. 

LAKEWOOD CHURCH SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS GENESSE IVONNE MORENO; ‘PALESTINE’ WRITTEN ON GUN

The Lakewood Church shooting suspect has been identified as Genesse Ivonne Moreno. (Texas Department of Public Safety)

“I don’t want to speculate on that, but what I would say is if it was, unfortunately, and that female, that suspect put that baby in danger, I’m going to put that blame on her,” Finner said during a press conference last week.

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After Moreno “went down,” Finner said, the officers at the scene quickly searched her backpack and vehicle for explosives due to earlier threats she’d made. 

NEIGHBORS OF LAKEWOOD CHURCH SHOOTER DETAIL YEARS OF ‘HELL,’ POLICE INACTION: ‘ONLY A MATTER OF TIME’

Pastor Joel Osteen wipes away tears as he talks about last week’s shooting at Lakewood Church, Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Houston.  (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

“My faith tradition demands of me compassion, and I have it for my deceased daughter-in-law,” the boy’s grandmother wrote in her post. “She has schizophrenia and, now we know, anti-social personality disorder. Her brain was broken.” 

The grandmother claimed that, despite more than 20 previous reports of neglect and medical abuse to child protective services in Harris and Montgomery Counties, law enforcement never intervened in the at-risk woman’s life. Previously, the grandmother claimed, guns were found in Moreno’s diaper bag, purse and car by authorities. 

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Pastor Joel Osteen prays during a service at Lakewood Church Sunday, Feb. 18, 2024, in Houston. Osteen welcomed worshippers back to Lakewood Church for the first time since a woman with an AR-style opened fire in between services at his Texas megachurch last Sunday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

The bereaved woman wrote that her grandson had “no protection of his God-given right to life” because “the very same legislators who claim to be ‘pro-life’ believe that unbridled gun rights matter and the right to life does not.”

“What is the excuse for those who knew and did nothing and for legislators who refuse to allow red flag laws but do allow anyone to buy an assault weapon?” Carranza asked.

She called for legislators to “repeal the second amendment” on the grounds that “[the first] means too much to allow the second.”

Previously, Moreno’s neighbors detailed years of harassment and threats from Moreno and their unsuccessful attempts to alert authorities to her unstable condition. 

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A long line of cars forms outside of Lakewood Church, where Gennesse Ivonne Moreno opened fire on Feb. 11. (Photo by Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

Moreno’s motivation for the shooting is still unclear. Antisemitic writings were found inside the vehicle she drove to the church, police said. Although police did not say what was written, they suggested that it may have stemmed from a familial dispute involving her ex-husband and his family – some of whom are Jewish, police say. 

The word “Palestine” was written on the woman’s gun, Fox News Digital previously reported.

Moreno, who is originally from El Salvador, had a criminal history including convictions for assaulting a police officer in 2009 and forgery in 2010. 

Fox News Digital previously reported that she had six previous arrests dating back to 2005, and used several male and female aliases, including Jeffrey Escalante Moreno.

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LAKEWOOD CHURCH SHOOTING: WOMAN WITH CHILD IN TOW OPENS FIRE INSIDE JOEL OSTEEN’S TEXAS MEGACHURCH

Houston Police officers watch over displaced churchgoers outside Lakewood Church on Sunday following the shooting. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Members of the FBI, the Texas Rangers, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and the Conroe and Houston Police Departments were investigating a property Monday in Conroe, north of Houston, that was believed to be Moreno’s residence, KPRC reported.

 

Investigators said they will look into how Moreno was able to purchase the two guns, one of which, Hassig said, was legally purchased in December.

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Yesterday, the church held its first service since the shooting, with Osteen telling parishioners the event had caused “a lot of trauma.” Houston Mayor John Whitmire and police Chief Troy Finner were both invited on stage to speak.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico

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Man wanted for deadly Los Angeles road rage shooting extradited from Mexico

A man wanted for a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles was arrested and extradited from Mexico after fleeing the U.S. in 2024.

The suspect was identified as Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, according to the California Highway Patrol.

Authorities had been searching for him since the deadly incident on October 10, 2024. 

Rojas and a second suspect, Joshua Rojas Sr., 47, of Downey, were driving on the northbound 5 Freeway in Boyle Heights around 4 p.m. when they became involved in an altercation with another driver that escalated into a shooting.

  • Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01)
  • Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01)
  • Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01)
  • Video obtained exclusively by KTLA shows the terrifying moment a road rage suspect opened fire the driver of another car on the 5 Freeway in Los Angeles, fatally wounding him and seriously injuring a passenger, on Oct. 10, 2024. (Credit: @hugoboss01)
  • Christian Rojas, 21, of Bellflower, was arrested and extradited to the U.S. from Mexico on June 2, 2026, in connection with a deadly road rage shooting in Los Angeles. (California Highway Patrol)

Video of the tense confrontation showed the suspects, who were driving a Dodge Durango SUV, opening fire on two men in a Cadillac sedan. 

The shooting forced the victim to pull over abruptly. That’s when a suspect ran up to the Cadillac, opened the passenger-side door and fired several shots at close range.

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In a panic, the Cadillac driver tried to escape by making a sudden U-turn and driving against oncoming traffic. He eventually crashed head-on into several vehicles.

The suspects ditched their SUV and fled toward a freeway exit on foot. The Cadillac driver was left with serious injuries and his passenger was killed. Their identities were not released.

The incident caused a miles-long backup that left thousands of motorists stranded on the freeway for hours and authorities worked to clear the scene.

Following an extensive investigation, detectives identified the two men as the suspects involved. 

Joshua Rojas Sr. was arrested in San Bernardino on October 22, 2024, on a murder charge. He remains in custody awaiting trial.

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Meanwhile, Christian Rojas had fled the U.S. and was hiding in Mexico, detectives said. A $4.3 million bail warrant was issued for his arrest. 

“Through a coordinated international effort, investigators determined that Rojas was living in Palomo de Arriba, Mexico,” CHP officials said. “The U.S. Marshals Service worked with Mexican state police to locate and arrest him on the outstanding warrant.”

On June 2, 2026, Christian was arrested and extradited to the U.S. to face a murder charge. 

“This arrest demonstrates that time and distance will not shield violent offenders from justice,” said CHP Southern Division Chief Chris Margaris. “For nearly two years, our detectives remained relentless in their pursuit of those responsible for this senseless act of violence. Through exceptional collaboration with the United States Marshals Service and our law enforcement partners in Mexico, we located and apprehended this suspect and brought him back to face the charges. We remain committed to protecting the public, supporting victims and their families, and holding violent criminals accountable wherever they may try to hide.”

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Los Angeles, Ca

NB 405 Freeway closed near LAX after pursuit ends in gunfire

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NB 405 Freeway closed near LAX after pursuit ends in gunfire

The northbound 405 Freeway will remain closed for several hours near Los Angeles International Airport after a police pursuit ended with officers opening fire Friday morning. Unconfirmed reports indicated the incident began with a robbery at a 7-Eleven store, which ended with Los Angeles Police Department officers pursuing the suspect in a Kia. The chase […]

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Los Angeles, Ca

'Top Gun: Maverick' actor identified as victim stabbed to death in Tarzana

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'Top Gun: Maverick' actor identified as victim stabbed to death in Tarzana

The victim in a bizarre and deadly stabbing in Tarzana has been identified as 81-year-old character actor James Handy, best known for a recent role in Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick.” The stabbing happened around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday in the 19200 block of Erwin Street in the West Valley area. Officers responded after receiving a […]

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