Saturday 4 June 2022 08:49 PM Devastated Texas family is left reeling after murder of grandfather and his ... trends now
Mexican Mafia hitman Gonzalo Lopez was killed in a police shootout after escaping prison and killing five family members
The loved ones of a grandfather and his four grandkids killed by an escaped convict in Texas this week are reeling following their senseless deaths.
On Friday night, community members turned out for a vigil in the Houston suburb of Tomball to mourn the deaths of grandfather Mark Collins, 66, brothers Waylon, 18, Carson, 16, and Hudson, 11, and their cousin Bryson, also 11.
The five family members were slain on Thursday soon after arriving on a weekend visit to the family's ranch in Centerville, about 100 miles north of Houston, where Mexican Mafia hitman Gonzalo Lopez was apparently hiding out after escaping from a prison transport van in the area three weeks ago.
Lopez killed the family, stole their truck as well as a pistol and AR-15 rifle, and was killed late on Thursday in a shootout with police after an all-points bulletin was issued on the stolen vehicle.
'These precious people who loved and were loved by so many, will never be forgotten,' the Collins family said in a statement.
Waylon Collins, 18, played baseball at Tomball High School, where he had just graduated, and also worked as an umpire for Little League games
Brothers Waylon, 18, Carson, 16, and Hudson, 11, (together left) and their cousin Bryson, also 11 (right) were killed alongside their grandfather at the family's Texas ranch on Thursday
Grandfather Mark Collins, 66, was taking the four boys out to the family ranch for a weekend of fishing, boating, and target shooting
Community members gathered for a vigil on Friday in the Houston suburb of Tomball, where the slain children lived
Collins family pastor Steve Benzer described the the family as one of 'the greatest character, the deepest faith, and unrelenting kindness and love.'
'They have treated me, my family and this church with deep generosity as long as they have been here, they have been pillars in this church, and in this community now for over 40 years,' he added.
'And we are heartbroken with them over this tragedy that has struck their family,' he said.
The murders occurred in the small town of Centerville, about 100 miles north of where the family lived in the northwest Houston suburb of Tomball.
'This is something that you can´t imagine ever to happen in a small community like this,' said Tuffy Loftin, 61, a pastor in Centerville who knew the family.
Centerville residents had been worried ever since May 12, when Lopez overpowered the officer who was driving him and 15 other prisoners near their community between Dallas and Houston.
Lopez had been the subject of an intensive search since his escape. He was shot dead by officers in Jourdantown, Texas, on June 2
The crashed prison bus that Lopez was traveling in when he escaped on May 12. Lopez was on the loose for three weeks, and may have been hiding on or near the Collins ranch
Mounted police are seen searching the area for Lopez after his escape from a prison bus. Officials said that 'a serious incident review' is underway with regard to Lopez's escape
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is still investigating how Lopez broke free from his restraints and escaped a caged area of the bus where he had been held.
Following his escape, law enforcement vigorously patrolled Highway 7 and other roads in Centerville, escorting many of the city´s nearly 1,000 residents to their homes to ensure they felt safe.
Jean Davis, 70, who owns a feed and fertilizer store on the east side of town, said her husband wanted her to take a rifle and pistol to work, but she refused.
'The town has really been on edge, especially that first 10 days when he was out missing and nobody knew where he was,' said Davis, who lives about 15 miles away in Buffalo.
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