FBI joins manhunt for Texas killer who has been on the run after murdering ... trends now
The Texas man who allegedly gunned down five people, including an eight-year-old, after neighbors asked him to stop firing off an AR-15 in his yard is still on the run after 36 hours as authorities admit he 'could be anywhere' as the FBI joins the manhunt.
Francisco Oropeza, 38, fled after the shooting unfolded around 11:30pm Friday near the town of Cleveland, Texas, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say neighbors often unwind by firing off guns.
But target practice turned deadly when neighbors confronted Oropeza, asking him to stop because a baby was trying to sleep. The suspect responded by telling them that it was his property, and allegedly turned the gun on them, killing five people.
The search for the suspect, now in its second day, has been widened as far as 20 miles from the scene of the shooting, with San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers admitting 'he could be anywhere now.'
The FBI's Houston field office stated they have joined in the search and 'will be her until Francisco Oropeza is captured'.
Francisco Oropeza, 38, who allegedly gunned down five people, including an eight-year-old, after being asked to stop shooting his AR-15 is on the run as cops admit he 'could be anywhere'
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers became emotional at a Saturday news conference where he revealed that the victims were between the ages of 8 and 31 years old and that all were believed to be from Honduras. All were shot 'from the neck up,' he said
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Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area for Oropeza that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said.
Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Oropeza allegedly used in the shootings but authorities were not sure if he was carrying another weapon, the sheriff said.
Capers became emotional at a Saturday news conference where he revealed that the victims were between the ages of 8 and 31 years old and that all were believed to be from Honduras. All were shot 'almost execution style' 'from the neck up,' he said.
Capers said there were 10 people in the house - some of whom had just moved there earlier in the week - but no one else was injured. He said two of the victims were found in a bedroom laying over two children in an apparent attempt to shield them.
'In my opinion, they were actually trying to take care of the babies and keep them babies alive,' he said.
A total of three children were found covered in blood in the home and taken to a hospital but found to be uninjured, Capers said.
FBI spokesperson Christina Garza said investigators do not believe everyone at the home were members of a single family.
The victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8.
A hazardous cleanup crew handles what appears to be a body bag at the scene of a mass shooting in Cleveland, near Houston, on Friday. The search for the suspect, now in its second day, has been widened as far as 20 miles from the scene of the shooting
