Houston- Adult, child injured in shooting at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood church

[airportwoman]

The boy stopped attending school in October? Weren't school officials suspicious?

 

[LadyL]

You may have to use “reader view” to read this article. Much more at link.

7-Year-Old Son of Houston Church Shooter Still Struggling to Survive

Samuel, born three months premature, had already faced challenges for much of his life as his mother battled mental illness, family members say. Now he is in a fight for his life.

www.nytimes.com

A 7-year-old boy who was shot in the head when his mother opened fire at a Houston megachurch on Sunday has undergone at least two surgeries in 24 hours and “lost a major part of what makes us who we are,” his grandmother said in an update on Thursday.

The surgeries included removal of part of the frontal lobe of the brain and a portion of the skull, the grandmother, Walli Carranza, said in a post on Facebook. It included a jarring photo of the child from his hospital bed, where officials said he remained in critical condition. She said the boy was engaged in a “fight for life.”
(..)
In the early days after their marriage in June 2015, Ms. Moreno “did beautifully” when she took her medication, Ms. Carranza said. But things changed when Ms. Moreno learned she was pregnant and stopped taking it, she said. She became violent and unstable and was admitted involuntarily for psychiatric treatment at a hospital in Houston, where she remained for several weeks.

During those early years, her daughter-in-law kept several guns around the house, including a handgun in Samuel’s diaper bag, Ms. Carranza said in an affidavit.
(..)
Farrah Signorelli, who lives three doors down from Ms. Moreno’s house, was the boy’s special education teacher.
She described him as a petite and frail child with curly hair who looked younger than most 7-year-olds. She said he was mostly unable to talk and struggled to make friends in his class, attended by other children with special needs. She said he often appeared hungry: His mother, she said, sent him to school with two or three chicken nuggets “at most.” She said she offered him goldfish snacks when he seemed to want more food. “We made sure he ate,” she said.
She said the boy had stopped attending school around the end of October. She spotted him on Halloween in the back of his mother’s vehicle and said she breathed a sigh of relief to see that he seemed to be OK.

as his teacher, wasn't she compelled to report his lack of food and that he often appeared hungry?

 

[IceIce9]

as his teacher, wasn't she compelled to report his lack of food and that he often appeared hungry?

It is truly unbelievable how many people failed this child. He never stood a chance.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Last weekend's shooting at Lakewood Church in Houston has revived discussions about how to improve the security of people in public spaces, while also ensuring that those spaces remain public.

“Houses of worship have come more and more under threat across the spectrum,” said David Rogers, chief marketing officer of Raptor Technologies, a school safety software company headquartered in Houston.

While Raptor focuses on security for K-12 schools, he said, churches and other houses of worship have some parallel security considerations
…
Over 20 years in the industry, he continued, Raptor has learned some lessons that could be applicable for houses of worship. One is the importance of having security officers on site, as Lakewood did. Another is running background checks on volunteers on a regular basis, as well as panic alerts and the capacity to handle reunification.

These are security measures that can be implemented even if houses of worship aren't inclined to embrace more restrictive security measures, Rogers said.

"A church wants to be welcoming and let people in the building," he said.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/article/raptor-technologies-18669518.php

 

[imstilla.grandma]

“The Lakewood Church community is grateful for the support we have received after the tragic event last week. This Sunday, February 18th, we are going to have special services that will be a time of healing and restoration, a time of praise and thanking God for His angels watching after us and for his faithfulness for where we would be without the goodness in the mercy of God,” Lakewood Church said

Lakewood Church to have first Sunday services since deadly shooting

Lakewood Church is having its first Sunday services, since a deadly shooting took place at the megachurch one week ago.

www.click2houston.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The videos provided a clearer picture of the Feb. 11 shooting in Lakewood Church, one of the nation’s largest megachurches, led by the televangelist Joel Osteen. But they did not provide a complete account of what took place.

And they did not show the boy being struck, leaving open the question of who shot him. He remained hospitalized in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.

One officer activated a body camera late, Assistant Chief Keith Seafous of the Houston Police Department said in an introduction to a compilation of the various videos. Another was unable to activate her camera.

Police officers running to confront the shooter.Houston Police Department
Several armed officers appeared to be present inside the hallway at the start of the shooting. Officials have said that off-duty law enforcement officers were providing security to the church. Two of them opened fire, the police said: an off-duty Houston police officer and an agent from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Videos Show Exchange of Gunfire at Houston Megachurch

The videos released by the Houston police left open the question of who shot a 7-year-old boy as his mother, armed with an assault-style rifle, exchanged fire with off-duty officers.

www.nytimes.com

 

[al66pine]

26 min, views from church surv cam's & LE body worn cam's.

The videos provided a clearer picture of the Feb. 11 shooting in Lakewood Church, one of the nation’s largest megachurches, led by the televangelist Joel Osteen. But they did not provide a complete account of what took place.

And they did not show the boy being struck, leaving open the question of who shot him. He remained hospitalized in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the head, officials said.

One officer activated a body camera late, Assistant Chief Keith Seafous of the Houston Police Department said in an introduction to a compilation of the various videos. Another was unable to activate her camera.

Police officers running to confront the shooter.Houston Police Department
Several armed officers appeared to be present inside the hallway at the start of the shooting. Officials have said that off-duty law enforcement officers were providing security to the church. Two of them opened fire, the police said: an off-duty Houston police officer and an agent from the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission.

Videos Show Exchange of Gunfire at Houston Megachurch

The videos released by the Houston police left open the question of who shot a 7-year-old boy as his mother, armed with an assault-style rifle, exchanged fire with off-duty officers.

www.nytimes.com

@imstilla.grandma Thank you for the quote and link.
Terrifying to think about being there or anywhere like it, in any capacity --- LE, church security officers, church members, visitors.
That poor little boy.

The VID. For a couple min., HPD *advertiser censored*'t. Chief calmly gives intro, then shows views from (2-3?) church surv cam's & commentary.
(4?) LE body worn cam's, some w audio, but none has voice-over or commentary. Shows activity before EMS arrives.

 

[Cinister09]

I'm not sure if anyone has shared this yet as I've just noticed the thread for this situation.

Samuel Moreno Carranza
For those wanting to keep up with the little boy's progress, his grandmother has a caring bridge account.
He smiled 2 days ago. =]