HOUSTON – The Lakewood Church shooting suspect endangered her family several times, the woman’s ex-mother-in-law shared with KRPC 2′s Corley Peel. She also opened up more about her mental health issues and the red flags that were ignored.
On Sunday, a 7-year-old child and a 57-year-old man were injured in the shooting at Lakewood Church.
36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno has been identified as the shooting suspect.
Houston police said she went into the church with her 7-year-old son and opened fire. She was then stopped and fatally shot by an off-duty HPD officer and Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission agent.
The child is still fighting for his life at Texas Children’s Hospital where he is in critical but stable conditions. Police said a 57-year-old man bystander who was also shot, was let out of the hospital on Monday.
KPRC 2′s Corley Peel spoke with Rabbi Walli Carranza, who is the paternal grandmother of the child, and Moreno’s ex-mother-in-law. Carranza said she flew in from Mexico to be by her grandson’s side. She said she was in Puerta Vallarta when she saw the news break on Sunday. She immediately called 911 asking the police do a welfare check on her grandson.
“I knew her mom went to Lakewood Church and I was just concerned,” said Carranza.
Carranza said Moreno battled schizophrenia for years.
She said Moreno disappeared when she was pregnant and gave birth without the father knowing. Moreno allegedly did not take her medication when she was pregnant, but she was open to receiving treatment in the past.
Carranza said that on the child’s birth certificate, Moreno marked that the father was dead. It took the family several years to correct this.
According to records, Moreno also physically attacked her husband and tried to stab him.
“She was violent to my son. It’s in the court records. She admitted this, that she has stabbed him. She has tried to stab him,” said Carranza.
The grandmother said her grandson also suffered.
“She kept him infantilized. She kept him with a feeding tube for years when it was supposed to come out in weeks,” said Carranza.
There is also an ongoing custody battle between Moreno and the child’s father’s family, but Carranza currently has the power of attorney for the boy. Carranza believes the state failed her grandson after reported red flags were ignored.
Carranza said The 7-year-old has special needs and has the sweetest soul.
“He’s a hugger. He’s a smiler. He’s an embracer of life. There’s a lot of intelligence in him that needs to be nurtured,” said Carranza.
“We were the family that was trying to throw up the red flags and saying, please help. Here we are. This was predictable and this was preventable,” said Carranza.
A search warrant to Moreno’s home showed police found “antisemitic writings”. Carranza said Moreno has made threats regarding their families Jewish faith in the past, but she does not feel that is related to Sunday’s shooting.