New footage shows moments after shooter opens fire at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church

New footage released by police shows the frantic four minutes when a suspect opened fire at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston before she was shot and killed by off-duty officers.

The 26 minutes of video footage released by the Houston Police Department shows the moment gunfire ripped through an ordinary Sunday afternoon at the church on Feb. 11, leaving the shooter, 36-year-old Genesse Moreno, dead and her 7-year-old son in critical condition. A 57-year-old man was also injured in the shooting. Footage from surveillance cameras inside the church and body cameras worn by officers showed churchgoers scatter and panic as authorities approached the shooter with their weapons drawn, periodically taking cover from the rapid bursts of gunfire.

A surveillance camera outside the building captured Moreno pulling her son, Samuel, out of a white SUV and then walking toward the church. She wore a long tan trench coat and a backpack.

Footage from one officer's camera showed church attendees and off-duty officers chatting together in groups. When the bang of the first shot rang out, one officer asked, "What is that?"

As people began to scream and flee down the hall, the officer urged another to approach the shooter, whispering, "Father God, just be with us. Forgive us our sins."

Surveillance footage also captured an overhead view of people fleeing in confusion and running into doorways as Moreno opened fire. One camera showed Moreno's son appear to cover his ears and hide in a doorway.

In audio from body camera footage, Moreno shouted that she had a bomb and threatened to "blow up ... the whole place." At one point, Moreno also said, "Stay calm, all I need is help."

After an exchange of gunfire between the shooter and two officers, surveillance footage showed Moreno pace back and forth in the empty hallway before she was struck by gunfire, slumping to the ground.

After Moreno went down, officers called for a medic for Samuel, who was shown lying on the ground.

Officers also called for a bomb squad to check Moreno for explosives. Police later said searches of Moreno's car and backpack did not find any explosives.

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Moreno's son was taken to hospital in critical condition

Samuel was taken to the hospital in critical condition after he was struck by a single gunshot to the head, Police Chief Troy Finner said after the shooting.

The Houston Police Department told USA TODAY on Tuesday that they didn't have an update on Samuel's condition.

"Our hearts are heavy as 7-year-old Samuel Moreno continues to fight for his life," Finner said in a statement posted to the agency's Facebook page on Monday.

Walli Carranza, the child's grandmother, has been updating Facebook on the child's recovery. Most recently, on Saturday, she said he was breathing well after doctors extubated him, but that he may require an additional brain surgery.

"Will he be able to have any semblance of a normal life? I have no idea," she wrote.

The two off-duty officers who exchanged fire with Moreno, an HPD officer and a Texas Alcohol and Beverage Commission officer, were uninjured during the shooting, according to police.

More:Shooting puts new spotlight on preacher Joel Osteen

Police believe Moreno had 'mental health history,' penned 'antisemitic writings'

Police have said an investigation is ongoing into Moreno's motives in carrying out the attack. A rifle used by Moreno had a sticker on the buttstock reading "Palestine," Houston Police Department Cmdr. Chris Hassig said. Investigators believe she had a "mental health history" and discovered some "antisemitic writings" linked to her, Hassig said. She also may have had a "dispute" with an ex-husband and some of his family members, who are Jewish, according to police.

In her post, Carranza called Moreno "severely mentally ill" and said she kept an assault weapon in her house. Carranza said she spoke "to neighbors and a teacher and heard from nurses and others who all tried to save" Moreno's son by reporting the situation to authorities.

"What was needed for years was a collaborative mental health and law enforcement response," Carranza wrote.

The shooter has been arrested multiple times since 2005 on charges including unlawfully carrying a weapon, forgery, marijuana possession and evading arrest, according to court records.

Moreno pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon in October of 2022 and an assault charge in 2009, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Joel Osteen, the widely famous preacher who presides over the megachurch, said at a news conference that the community would pray for the "boy, and pray for the lady that was deceased and her family and all, and the other gentleman."

"We've been here 65 years and to have somebody shooting in your church?" Osteen said. "We don't understand why this happened."

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA Today. Reach her on email at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.