A Mexican national is suspected of murdering five neighbors in southeast Texas after one of them asked him to cease firing his rifle late on Friday night because a baby was attempting to sleep.
Francisco Oropeza, 39, a Mexican national, is the suspect in the execution-style murders, according to San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers. Currently, no image of Oropeza is available.
Capers told Fox News Digital that police had located Oropeza and were hopeful that he would be taken into custody shortly. The sheriff stated that police had cornered the suspect in a wooded area 1.2 miles west of the crime scene, where one of the five victims was an eight-year-old child.
The Texas Department of Corrections has dispatched a team with canines, mounted officers, and a drone to assist with the arrest of Oropeza, according to police.
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Capers told Fox News Digital that he is “praying” for the suspect’s capture within the next two to four hours.
He stated that this was the first time his office had dealt with a mass murder involving more than three victims.
Capers stated, “No one should ever have to witness this.” Nobody should ever be forced to endure this.
San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office deputies were dispatched just before midnight to investigate a report of “harassment” in the 100 block of Walters Road in the Trails End neighborhood of Cleveland, approximately 50 miles north of Houston.
The sheriff’s office received multiple 911 calls describing an active shooter at the location while en route to the scene. According to police, upon arrival, officers discovered that five individuals had been shot at the residence.
The suspect, according to the sheriff, was a neighbor who had been discharging a.223-caliber AR-15-style rifle in his yard before midnight. The police discovered shell casings in the backyard.
Casper told KTRK that one of the victims came out of the house and said, “Hey, we have a small baby trying to sleep.” “And the man replied, ‘I’ll fire in my front yard;’ I do whatever I want in my own home.
Witnesses informed investigators that the shooter had consumed alcohol.
The subsequent events are startling. According to police, the suspect approached the front door of his neighbor’s home and opened fire. One victim was discovered by the entrance to the living room. The body of another victim was discovered in the living room. Two more women were discovered shot to death on the second floor, their bodies shielding young children who were transported to a hospital.
Each victim, according to Caspers, was shot in the head.
Capers stated that when police arrived, four individuals were pronounced dead at the scene, and an eight-year-old boy was airlifted to a local trauma center in critical condition, where he died.
Upon arrival, a SWAT team from neighboring Montgomery County cleared several properties near the crime site. It was determined that the gunman had fled the county.
Three additional victims were transported to the hospital “covered in blood,” according to the sheriff’s office. It was unclear whether they had been injured or whether the blood belonged to other victims.
The victims, according to Capers, were from Honduras. He stated that ten individuals resided in the house. Four adults, one male and three females, were among those slain, while the youngest victim was only eight years old. Three additional victims transported to the hospital were minors.
Two additional occupants of the residence were evaluated and released at the scene, according to police.
“When we arrived, the two females in the bedroom were actually laying on top of two of the three younger children who had survived,” Capers explained.
The identities of the victims are being withheld pending notification of next of kin, but the sheriff’s office has a copy of Oropeza’s consular identification card.
Caspers stated that authorities seized a shotgun, two rifles, including the.223-caliber rifle, and a handgun from the residence of the victims.
A judge issued an arrest warrant and set the suspect’s bond at $5 million.
The Texas Rangers contribute to the ongoing investigation. As there is still a significant police presence in the area, police are requesting that the public avoid it.
