Francisco Oropeza, 38, used an AR-15 yesterday night in Texas to kill five more innocent lives. He went over to his neighbors’ house and killed 5 people after they requested him to stop shooting weapons in his yard. Over a day after the tragedy, the shooting suspect is still on the large. Here’s what we know about the dangerous shooting suspect.
About Texas shooting
A suspect is being sought for the alleged murder of five individuals, including a toddler, at a home in southeast Texas on Friday, April 28, according to a statement from the authorities.
Five people, including an 8-year-old, were killed in a mass shooting in San Jacinto County overnight on Friday, and the suspect is thought to be the victims’ next-door neighbor.
Residents urged the suspect to stop firing his gun in the garden:
Francisco Oropeza, 38, is the subject of an active manhunt. According to authorities, a neighbor urged the man to stop shooting his rifle since they were trying to get their infant to sleep at home when they had a newborn inside.
“The neighbors walked over and said … ‘Hey man, can you not do that, we’ve got an infant in here trying to sleep’ or whatever. They went back in their house and then we have a video of him walking up their driveway with his AR-15.”
The man had been shooting his gun in his yard. According to the sheriff’s office, the suspect assured the victims that he would carry out his plan.
When deputies arrived, they discovered four dead family members inside the house. An 8-year-old child who was the fifth person transported by air eventually passed away at the hospital.
Sheriff Greg Capers of San Jacinto County stated that they were able to recognize Oropeza thanks to his Mexican consulate card and a doorbell camera.
“We are aware of his name and birthdate. His card for the Mexican consulate is with us. Additionally, the victim’s home had a Ring doorbell, which allowed us to catch the suspect with the weapon approaching the front door, according to Capers.
Update: Another image of the suspect released by San Jacinto County
Who is Francisco Oropeza?
The suspect of the shooting has been identified as Francisco Oropeza, 38 years old, and of Mexican nationality. Local Texas authorities have offered a reward of up to $5 million to anyone with any information leading to his arrest.
Mr. Oropeza is described as approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots, and with short black hair, ABC reported. Oropeza reportedly left the scene on foot on a bicycle, though authorities have not yet located the culprit.
Several federal government agencies, including the FBI, are collaborating in the investigation of the shooting, which occurred in the town of Cleveland, in San Jacinto County, about 50 miles from Houston.
According to Capers, Oropeza’s family has previously received reports about him firing his weapon in the backyard. “I’m not sure how frequently we’ve had calls out here, but we did some research on it.
And we discovered some previous history at these homes,” he added. According to Capers, Oropeza had an AR15-style rifle inside his house in addition to at least two additional firearms.
He added that Oropeza’s wife is being interviewed. Oropeza was arrested for DWI in 2009, according to DPS data. On five counts of murder, Oropeza is the subject of an arrest warrant. A $5 million bond has been posted for him.
“Armed and Dangerous”
At the same press conference, the agent in charge of the FBI office in Houston, James Smith, warned that the shooter is considered “armed and dangerous” and called on residents to take precautions and be alert.
So that they can notify the authorities if they see you. However, he asked the neighbors not to “take the law into their own hands” and to notify the Police if they see him.
Capers explained that the perpetrator of the shooting could be armed, but indicated that the AR-15 assault rifle with which he perpetrated the shooting is in the hands of the authorities.
The suspect was known in the neighborhood because he liked to shoot in the garden of his house with an AR-15 rifle and the police had already had to intervene on a couple of occasions, Capers said.
On Friday night, the shooter was in the garden of his house shooting with his AR-15 rifle when one of his neighbors approached him and asked him to stop shooting because it was already too late and a baby was trying to sleep.
The suspect responded by breaking into his neighbors’ homes to shoot them in the neck and head as if it were an “execution,” Capers described in another news conference early Saturday.
Biden is informed
The President of the United States, Joe Biden, was informed of the shooting, a senior US official told EFE, who did not provide details on whether the Government has contacted the Government of Honduras.
After finding out what happened, the Honduran Foreign Minister, Eduardo Enrique Reina, demanded that the culprit be punished with “the full weight of the law.”
According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), a nonprofit project that tracks gun violence in the United States, so far in 2023 there have been 176 mass shootings.
GVA defines a mass shooting as one that ends with four victims, whether dead or wounded, not including the perpetrator of the attack if he died or was injured during the event.
This is an ongoing investigation case, stay tuned for more updates on this story.
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Lavanya (Senior Editor) is a full-time content writer with almost 5 years of experience and a part-time teacher. She joined Medico Topics on the Breaking News trainee scheme in 2022 and now works on MedicoTopics.com. As a lifelong learner, She is constantly curious about learning new things and passionate about sharing knowledge with people through her writing and teaching.
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