On Saturday, a drunk man reportedly opened fire at a southeast Texas home, killing five people, the youngest of whom was 8 years old. The infant had been sleeping in the backyard, and the guy had been requested to cease shooting his rifle outside.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said that all of the victims were Hondurans and that the shooter was Mexican.
The city of Cleveland, Texas (approximately 45 miles from Houston) is where the violence took place, as reported by the authorities.
After one of the alleged victims and his next-door neighbor asked Francisco Oropeza, 38, to put down the gun because a baby was sleeping in the house, Capers said he went on a shooting spree shortly before midnight on Saturday.
According to Capers’s account in The Post, the man “pretty much killed them” inside the house after growing enraged when neighbors warned him to remain quiet.
Ten persons were inside the residence at the time of the break-in. The victims ranged in age from eight to forty.
The victims ranged in age from eight to forty.
Out of the five survivors, three were children.
Oropeza was reportedly seen by witnesses drinking in his yard when they reported hearing gunshots.
Nobody knew about his legal predicament on Saturday.
At the entrance to the living room, one body was discovered. The second corpse was discovered in the family room. According to Fox News Digital, two more ladies were found shot to death on the upper floor. The children who managed to get away and were transported to the hospital reported seeing the bodies on the way.
Three more victims, who were “covered in blood,” were transported to the hospital by the Sheriff’s office. At first, it was impossible to discern if the blood was theirs or that of one of the other victims.
“This is the worst crime scene I’ve ever worked,” Capers told The Post. Furthermore, “And I’ve been a cop for 41 years.”
Oropeza reportedly fled the scene, but police located him in a wooded area about a mile from the initial murder spot at approximately noon on Saturday. They hoped he would be captured soon as well.
The police have located what they believe to be the murder weapon at the crime site. at addition to the rifle, shotgun, and handgun, they also discovered more weapons at Oropeza’s home. As he fled, it was not clear if he was carrying a weapon.
Canine units, mounted police, and a drone were all deployed by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in an endeavor to apprehend Oropeza.
On Saturday, the FBI officially announced that they were helping in the manhunt.
Capers’ employees initially went to the victims’ Walters Road house because of a harassment complaint. His office got many reports of shooting while his officers were on their way to the area.
After responding officers entered the house, they discovered the bodies of a man and three women who had been shot.
The emergency room of a local hospital was contacted, and the youngster, then just eight years old, was sent there.
The cops discovered shells in Oropeza’s property.
According to the Washington Post, Vianey Balderas, the victim’s neighbor, heard the gunshot as she and a few others were outside. She waited for ten shots to begin after 20 minutes.
“When I heard those gunshots, I didn’t think much of it because everyone in this neighborhood has a gun,” she said to a Spanish-language news site.
Weekends tend to have increased shooting volume. After a few beers, men often resort to floor shooting during social events. As a matter of fact, this occurs in people’s front yards.
After waiting for a while, Balderas, now 27 years old, claims he witnessed a pickup leave the site. The father of the children was then spotted outside appealing with bystanders to get aid for his kids.
It was reported by Capers that the victims had relocated to Cleveland from Houston three to five days before to their murder. He claimed that many of them lacked proper identification, making it difficult to determine their identities.
The five survivors are currently staying with various relatives in the Pasadena region of Texas.
The bond for Oropeza has been set at $5 million, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest, according to Capers’s office.
Five people have perished because of him.
Residents of Cleveland, Texas were told to stay indoors and keep their distance from the crime site as investigators examined the area.
The latest tragedy has renewed calls for a countrywide ban on assault weapons. Vice President Biden has pushed Congress to back a ban on assault weapons after a shooter killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at a Nashville school last month using an AR-15-style rifle.
Nineteen mass shootings resulting in four or more deaths (not counting the gunman) have been documented by the Gun Violence Archive so far in the United States this year.