Texas agency says megachurch shooting highlights damage done by ‘defund police’ movement

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TABC chairman Kevin Lilly says megachurch shooting highlights why not to defund police

Kevin Lilly, the chairman of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission said elected officials who want to defund police do so at their own peril, and as a community, people need to defend the ‘thin blue line’.

The head of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC) pointed to the Lakewood Church shooting in Houston on Sunday, to highlight the damages done in metropolitan areas affected by the defund police movement.

At a press conference on Monday afternoon, the chairman of the TABC, Kevin Lilly, joined the mayor of Houston, police officials and others to provide an update on the shooting at Joel Osteen’s megachurch.

“Public safety, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the most critical things that we have,” Lilly said. “I would say this to elected officials that want to defund police: I say they do so at their own political peril. We need to unify as a community to defend our men and women in the thin blue line.”

Lilly thanked the law enforcement officials who responded to the shooting, calling them the “personification of heroism and valor.”

LAKEWOOD CHURCH SHOOTER IDENTIFIED AS GENESSE IVONNE MORENO; ‘PALESTINE’ WRITTEN ON GUN

Emergency vehicles line the feeder road outside Lakewood Church as police responded to the shooting Sunday afternoon. (Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle via AP)

Two off-duty officers working at the church as security guards are credited with stopping the female shooter. 

“They were a wall that existed between worshipers and terror, between freedom of religion and murder,” the TABC chairman said. “We should all be mindful of the sacrifices that our men and women in law enforcement make every day. It is a profession of the highest honor.”

Lilly’s comments come as big cities like Chicago, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, and Austin, Texas, have acted over the past few years to defund police departments.

AUSTIN POLICE STAFFING CRISIS CONTINUES TO STRETCH DEPARTMENT THIN, LEAVING SOME CALLS ON HOLD FOR HOURS

Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission Chairman Kevin Lilly praised law enforcement for quick actions on Sunday to stop a shooter at Lakewood Church, using the moment to highlight damages done in areas where police departments have been defunded. (Live Stream)

The Austin City Council and former Mayor Steve Adler voted to gut APD’s funding by about a third in August 2020, leading to a swift officer exodus. The Texas legislature passed a law that effectively forced the city to restore that funding the following year. However, the defunding and cancelation of cadet classes left the department well short of its recommended staffing level.

Lilly said he may not always agree politically with Houston Mayor John Whitmire, but said the mayor has always honored and respected law enforcement and public safety.

Authorities identified the Lakewood Church shooter as Genesse Ivonne Moreno, a Hispanic female who had used both female and male names. Police said she entered the church with her 7-year-old son and opened fire at the off-duty officers with an AR-15.

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A 57-year-old man was shot and survived. Moreno’s son was shot in the head and critically injured.

A motive for the shooting is unclear.

During the press conference Monday, Doug Williams of the FBI praised the actions of the officers who stopped the shooter.

“There is no doubt that their heroic actions saved lives,” he said.

Greg Wehner is a breaking news reporter for Fox News Digital.

Story tips and can be sent to Greg.Wehner@Fox.com and on Twitter @GregWehner.