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‘Zero Leads’: Dragnet Continues for Man Sought in Fatal Shooting of 5 in Texas ‘Zero Leads’: Dragnet Continues for Man Sought in Fatal Shooting of 5 in Texas
(about 3 hours later)
A Texas gunman who was being sought in connection with the fatal shooting of five people on Friday night, which took place after a neighbor had asked him to stop firing his weapon, remained at large and was believed to be armed, the authorities said on Sunday. CLEVELAND, Texas — As a man who lost his wife and son in a shooting rampage in Texas wept so loudly that his sobs were audible over a choir singing “Amazing Grace” at a vigil on Sunday evening, the suspect remained at large.
The gunman, Francisco Oropesa, 38, refused a request by the neighbor to stop shooting because the noise was keeping his baby awake. Instead, the authorities said, Mr. Oropesa retrieved an AR-15 and opened fire at his neighbor’s home in Cleveland, Texas. The suspect, Francisco Oropesa, who is accused of killing five people, had been shooting his gun in his yard in Cleveland, Texas, on Friday evening when his neighbor Wilson Garcia approached him and asked him to stop so that his baby could sleep.
Mr. Oropesa, officials said, shot several members of the same family. Among the dead was an 8-year-old boy. Instead, the authorities said, Mr. Oropesa, 38, retrieved an AR-15 rifle from his house and walked over to Mr. Garcia’s home, where he killed his 8-year-old son, wife and three other people.
At a news conference on Sunday, the authorities said that more than 200 law enforcement officers were looking for Mr. Oropesa and that they had no leads regarding his whereabouts. They offered an $80,000 reward for his capture. “I have no words to describe what happened,” Mr. Garcia said in Spanish at the vigil, where dozens of people surrounded him and the other survivors of the shooting, joining them in prayer. “We are alive but there is no life,” he said. “I was able to escape by a miracle.”
“We do not know where he is,” said James Smith, a special agent in charge for the F.B.I. in the Houston area. “We do not have any tips right now as to where he may be. Right now, we have zero leads.” Mr. Oropesa, he added, was considered to be “a threat to the community.” Earlier on Sunday, law enforcement officials conceded that they did not know the suspect’s whereabouts, adding that they considered him to be a threat.
Sheriff Greg Capers of San Jacinto County said that there were 10 people inside the house at the time of the shooting, five of whom remained alive. “We do not know where he is,” James Smith, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I. in the Houston area, told reporters at a news conference. “We do not have any tips right now as to where he may be. Right now, we have zero leads.”
He said that Mr. Oropesa had been drinking when the neighbor, Wilson Garcia, approached him to ask him to stop firing his gun. Sheriff Capers said that Mr. Oropesa responded: “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.” The authorities said that more than 200 officers, including state troopers, were looking for Mr. Oropesa. They have offered an $80,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
Sheriff Capers said that the authorities believed that they had recovered that AR-15, but that Mr. Oropesa could still be carrying another weapon. The authorities said they had found additional guns in his home, as well as an abandoned phone.
The F.B.I. identified those killed as Mr. Garcia’s wife, Sonia Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Juliza Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8. Sheriff Greg Capers of San Jacinto County said that there were 10 people inside the house at the time of the shooting. He said that Mr. Oropesa had been drinking when Mr. Garcia asked him to stop firing his gun. Sheriff Capers said that Mr. Oropesa responded, “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.”
Two of the women appear to have been killed while shielding the family’s children, Sheriff Capers said on Sunday. “My heart is with this 8-year-old little boy,” he said. “I don’t care if he was here legally. I don’t care if he was here illegally. He was in my county.” Sheriff Capers said the authorities believed that they had recovered the AR-15 used in the shooting, but that Mr. Oropesa could still be carrying another weapon. The authorities said they had found additional guns in his home as well as a phone.
Three other people were taken to hospitals after the shooting. The victims were all from Honduras, officials said. The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified those killed as Mr. Garcia’s wife, Sonia Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Juliza Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8.
The authorities had initially identified the man as Francisco Oropeza, but on Sunday afternoon, the F.B.I. said that his last name would be spelled with an “s” going forward “to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.” Two of the women were killed while protecting Mr. Garcia’s baby and 2-year-old daughter by embracing them and covering them with clothing, Mr. Garcia said at the vigil.
An “incorrect” image of Mr. Oropesa had also been “mistakenly disseminated” the agency said on Twitter on Sunday. The F.B.I. said it had since removed the image from its social media accounts, and asked that others not share it. He said that when Mr. Oropesa refused to stop shooting in his yard, he warned him that he would call the police, and did so five times. The police, he added, said that they were far from the neighborhood, but that they were on their way.
According to the authorities, Mr. Oropesa had a history of shooting his rifle in his front yard, leading neighbors to call law enforcement on other occasions. They said that a ring doorbell had captured him approaching the neighbors’ front door with his weapon on Friday, and that they had interviewed his wife. Around 10 to 20 minutes after speaking with Mr. Oropesa, he began shooting, Mr. Garcia said. After one woman saw Mr. Garcia’s wife being shot, she urged Mr. Garcia to jump out a window, he added, “because my kids were without a mom already and needed at least one parent.”
The authorities said that three people were taken to hospitals after the shooting. The victims were all from Honduras, officials said. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said that Mr. Oropesa and Mr. Garcia and his family were all in the United States illegally.
“My heart is with this 8-year-old little boy,” Sheriff Capers said on Sunday. “I don’t care if he was here legally. I don’t care if he was here illegally. He was in my county.”
The authorities had initially identified the suspect as Francisco Oropeza, but on Sunday afternoon the F.B.I. said that going forward his surname would be spelled as Oropesa “to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.”
An “incorrect” image of Mr. Oropesa had been “mistakenly disseminated,” the agency said on Twitter on Sunday. The F.B.I. said it had since removed the image from its social media accounts and asked that others not share it.
According to the authorities, Mr. Oropesa had a history of shooting his rifle in his front yard, leading neighbors to call law enforcement on other occasions. They said that a smart-home doorbell equipped with a camera had captured him approaching the neighbors’ front door with his weapon on Friday, and that they had interviewed his wife.
Court records show that Mr. Oropesa had been charged with misdemeanor drunken driving in Texas in 2009 and convicted. The sentence in that case was not immediately available.Court records show that Mr. Oropesa had been charged with misdemeanor drunken driving in Texas in 2009 and convicted. The sentence in that case was not immediately available.
Under Texas state law, a municipality cannot regulate the discharge of a shotgun, air rifle or pistol on a private land that is 10 acres or more, and is more than 150 feet from another property. In response to questions about whether Mr. Oropesa could legally fire his gun in his yard, Sheriff Capers said it depended on the size of the property and where the weapon was pointed.
“If it’s in a smaller subdivision, something like what they’re living in, yes it could very easily be construed to be illegal,” Sheriff Capers said on Sunday. “It just kind of depends on where the weapon is pointed.” Rene Arevalo, who lives in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, said that people in the community would often shoot for sport, and that it was not unusual to hear gunshots, but that he had never witnessed any arguments involving weapons.
Rene Arevalo, who lives in the neighborhood where the shooting took place, said that people in the community often shoot for sport, and that it was not unusual to hear gunshots, but that he had never witnessed any arguments involving weapons.
Mr. Arevalo, who lives with his wife and 21-year-old son, said that he had considered building a fence around his home. Now, he added, it was a necessity. “It’s just concerning,” Mr. Arevalo said, “not knowing who your neighbor is.”Mr. Arevalo, who lives with his wife and 21-year-old son, said that he had considered building a fence around his home. Now, he added, it was a necessity. “It’s just concerning,” Mr. Arevalo said, “not knowing who your neighbor is.”
Eliza Fawcett and April Rubin contributed reporting and Kirsten Noyes and Jack Begg contributed research. Eliza Fawcett and April Rubin contributed reporting, and Kirsten Noyes and Jack Begg contributed research.