March 2024. Blues Vol 40 No. 3

AROUND THE COUNTRY

AROUND THE COUNTRY HOUSTON, TX. Off-duty TABC Agent Adrian Herrera, prevented a near tragedy at Houston’s Lakewood Church when he took down a woman with an AR-15 as she began shooting at a recent church service. BY JUAN A. LOZANO (AP) HOUSTON, TX. (AP) — A woman in a trench coat opened fire with a long gun Sunday inside celebrity pastor Joel Osteen’s megachurch in Texas, sending worshipers rushing to find safety while off-duty TABC Agent Adrian Herrera confronted and killed the shooter. Two other people were shot and injured, including a 7-year-old boy who was in critical condition. The violence erupted shortly before the Houston church’s 2 p.m. Spanish service was set to begin, just as the rest of the country was preparing for the Super Bowl. The woman entered the enormous Lakewood Church – a building with a 16,000-person capacity that was previously an arena for the NBA’s Houston Rockets -- with the boy who was later hurt in the shootout with police. A man in his 50s was also wounded. “I will say this,” Houston Police Chief Troy Finner told reporters during a news conference outside the church. “That female, that suspect, put that baby in danger. I’m going to put that blame on her.” The woman suspect was identified as 36-year-old Genesse Ivonne Moreno, according to a search warrant executed by Houston Police and the Texas Rangers. The 7-year-old child was shot in the head in the incident and is in critical condition. He is not expected to survive. Authorities identified the suspect as the biological mother of the child during a press conference Monday. The search warrant states Moreno was armed with an AR-15 and threatened to have a bomb. An officer on scene observed she has “substances consistent with the manufacture of explosive devices,” though it is not known now whether the threat was credible. In a press conference held the Monday after the shooting Police said that the substances were “benign” and “common products,” and that anyone who would have been exposed to them would not have been harmed. The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission identified their officer as agent Adrian Herrera, who was working security for the church at the time of the shooting. “While we are still gathering the facts on what took place at Lakewood Church, I can say that I’m extremely proud of the quick response of our agent as well as the TABC Agent Adrian Herrera other law enforcement agents on the scene,” TABC Chairman Kevin Lilly said. “These officers likely prevented a much greater tragedy through their brave actions.” Herrera has been employed by TABC for around five years. He was placed on paid administrative leave pending an internal TABC investigation into the shooting, TABC said in a press release. Authorities said the preliminary investigation showed the suspect had a history of mental health disorders. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a statement saying “our hearts are with those impacted by today’s tragic shooting and the entire Lakewood Church community in Houston. Places of worship are sacred.” 54 The Blues - March ‘24 The Blues - March ‘24 55