Houston Megachurch Shooter Had AR-15 and a 'Detonation Cord'

The person who opened fire at a megachurch in downtown Houston on Sunday was a 36-year-old woman carrying an AR-15 and carrying a yellow rope that “appeared to be a detonation cord” for a bomb, according to a search warrant for her home in Montgomery County.

The document provided new details about the shooting that roiled Lakewood Church, which is led by televangelist Joel Osteen and is one of the largest congregations in the United States. The shooting ended quickly after the woman was shot and killed by off-duty police officers hired to provide security.

The warrant identified the woman as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, who lived in Conroe, Texas, north of Houston. A boy who authorities say is 4 or 5 years old and who arrived with Ms. Moreno was injured in the shooting. He was in critical condition on Monday. A man in the church was also injured.

It remained unclear what connection the boy had to Ms. Moreno or what connection she had to Lakewood Church, where Mr. Osteen's sermons draw a large national audience online and on television.

A motive for the shooting is also unclear. The rifle used in the attack had a handwritten reference to “Palestine,” according to a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation.

Before she was shot and killed by the off-duty officers, the gunman stated she had a bomb, according to the warrant. Officers said she was carrying a yellow cord that “appeared to be a detonation cord” and was “consistent with the manufacture of explosives.” According to the warrant, the officers opened fire after she pointed her weapon at them.

Police searched the gunman's home in Conroe on Sunday evening, according to a person familiar with the search. They were looking for firearms, computers and cellphones, as well as materials used to make explosives or a “hoax bomb,” the warrant said.

Officials said this during a press conference on Sunday that despite her statements and the fact that she sprayed some sort of substance on the ground, the shooter had no explosives in the church.

“She had a long gun and it could have been a lot worse,” said Chief Troy Finner of the Houston Police Department. According to the warrant, the woman shot one man, wounding him, but Chief Finner said the man “had nothing to do with it.” It was not clear from the document whether the boy was shot by the woman or by the off-duty officers when they confronted her.

The department planned to hold another news conference Monday afternoon.

A church representative, Don Iloff, said he did not believe the shooter was known to the church's members and leadership.

At a news conference after the shooting, a beaming Mr. Osteen said he planned to continue his mission to provide hope.

“We don't understand why these things happen, but we know God is in control,” said Mr. Osteen, who tends to stay away from politics. “There are forces of evil, but the forces that are for us, the forces of God, are stronger than that.”

The shooting happened Sunday around 1:53 p.m., after an English-language service ended and a Spanish-language service began. The church is located in a stadium-sized building along a major highway that was the former home of the Houston Rockets basketball team. The services attract tens of thousands of people in person, with many more watching online and on television.

The attacker drove to the church in a white car and entered the building wearing a trench coat and carrying a backpack, Chief Finner said Sunday. “Once she came in, at some point she started shooting,” he said.

The two off-duty law enforcement officers who intervened included an officer from the Houston Police Department and an agent from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission. Chief Finner said both provided private security for the church.

Glenn Thrush And Victor Mather reporting contributed. Alain Delaqueriere research contributed.