Here’s What We Know About Mexican National Who Murdered Five and Is Still on the Run
By Jack Phillips
A male gunman is still at large after allegedly shooting and killing five people, including a child, in Texas late last week that started with a noise complaint, officials said.
The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, was allegedly asked to stop firing a rifle in his yard because a baby was trying to sleep, said the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect then allegedly opened fire, killing the five, including an 8-year-old during the early morning hours of Saturday, April 29.
In an update posted on social media on Saturday night, the sheriff’s office said that “an extensive manhunt for Oropeza has not yielded his location.” No updates have been provided by the office as of Sunday morning.
“If you have any tips or information, please call our office immediately at 936-653-4367. You can remain anonymous. Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous, do not approach or attempt to apprehend. Contact local authorities immediately,” the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office wrote.
The incident took place in Cleveland, Texas, in the early morning hours of Saturday, April 29, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said in a statement. Deputies were dispatched to a residence in the Trails End area of Cleveland in response to the complaint.
“While enroute, the communications center received multiple 911 calls of an active shooter incident at the dispatch location,” Capers said. “Multiple deputies arrived at the residence and located multiple victims deceased in a resident and several others in critical condition from multiple gunshot wounds,” he added.
Capers described Oropeza as a Mexican male, and he said the victims were from Honduras. It’s not clear if the suspect was in the country illegally or not.
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“We know him by name, date of birth. We’ve got his Mexican consulate card. Plus, there was a ring doorbell on the victim’s house that we actually captured him coming up to the front door with with the weapon,” Capers said of the suspect.
In describing what occurred, Capers said that the victims “came over to the fence and said, ‘Hey could [you not do your] shooting out in the yard? We have a young baby that’s trying to go to sleep.’”
The suspect then, according to Capers, “had been drinking” and allegedly told them “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.”
Capers added that all the victims were shot above the neck at close range “almost execution style,” according to local reports. “The Honduran ladies that were laying over these children were doing it in such an effort as to protect the child,” Capers said, reported The Associated Press.
Capers added that Oropeza had an AR-15-style rifle along with two other weapons inside his home. Police have interviewed his wife.
FBI Agent James Smith with the Houston Field Office told ABC News on Saturday night he’s considered armed and dangerous as well as a “threat to the community,” adding: “We’re not going to stop until he we arrest him and put him into custody.”
Oropeza was described as Hispanic, about 5-foot-8, and was last seen wearing jeans, work boots, and a black shirt. He has short black hair and a goatee, officials said.
Authorities added the suspect “has been known to shoot his .223 [rifle] out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard.”
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