Residents in Conroe, Texas, have come forward to share their experiences of years of harassment and threats from Genesse Ivonne Moreno, the shooter who opened fire at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church before being fatally shot by police.
These neighbors claim that law enforcement and elected officials failed to adequately respond to their constant pleas for help.
According to five women who lived near Moreno, she tormented their usually close-knit community for the past four days. One neighbor, Jill, revealed that Moreno repeatedly made false police reports, accusing her and others of stalking Moreno and her seven-year-old son.
Jill expressed her frustration, stating that she had reported Moreno's behavior numerous times, but her pleas fell on deaf ears. She claimed that psychological officers had been involved, but since Moreno hadn't physically harmed anyone, authorities claimed there was nothing they could do.
Another neighbor, Linda Giutta, expressed her concerns, stating that they had done everything they could to stop Moreno's behavior. She emphasized the need for action, saying, "Something needs to get done. I don't know what needs to get done, but it needs to get done."
Neighbors recalled seeing Moreno frequently wearing a trench coat and carrying gun cases and a long rifle in and out of her house. Jill described an incident on the day of the shooting when she saw Moreno cover a vehicle with a blue tarp in her driveway to prevent cameras from capturing what she placed inside. Jill admitted that she found Moreno's behavior odd but didn't think much of it due to Moreno's overall strange demeanor.
Jill also described how Moreno used intimidation tactics, such as displaying swastikas and gang signs from her bedroom window. Moreno would also place baby monitors on the shared fence, make her Wi-Fi address "Kill Jill," honk her horn for hours on end, and blast rap music with threatening lyrics. Jill stated that Moreno's harassment was a weekly occurrence and that she was targeted for various reasons, including her transgender identity and ethnicity.
Authorities discovered antisemitic writings during a search of Moreno's home, indicating that her former in-laws were Jewish. The rifle used in the attack had a "Palestine" sticker on it. However, the child's grandmother released a statement clarifying that the incident had nothing to do with Judaism or Islam. She blamed the lack of mental health treatment for Moreno and the absence of strong red flag laws in Texas for allowing her to possess a gun.
Other neighbors shared their encounters with Moreno's aggressive behavior. One neighbor, Heather, revealed that Moreno pulled a gun on her after taking issue with her watering her lawn after dark. Farrah, another resident, claimed that Moreno began recording her and filed a false police report accusing her of stalking Moreno's son. Farrah, who worked as a teaching aide in Moreno's child's classroom, said that Moreno started driving past her home after learning about her job.
The situation became so severe that a group of women, including Giutta, took a day off work and went to the courthouse to seek help. They spoke with commissioners, elected officials, and police officers, but no significant action was taken. They also reached out to the property association and sent letters, but their pleas went unanswered.
Law enforcement has not disclosed a motive for the shooting, but they described Moreno as a "lone wolf" with no known association with any groups. Court documents revealed that Moreno's ex-mother-in-law sought advice from pastoral staff at Lakewood during a bitter child custody battle in 2022.
The residents of Conroe, Texas, are left grappling with the aftermath of the shooting at Lakewood Church. They believe that their constant pleas for help were ignored, and they are now demanding action to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
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