Francisco Oropesa, the man accused of shooting and killing five people, including a mother and her 9-year-old son, in Texas, has been taken into custody following a manhunt.
Man accused of Texas Massacre, which killed five people including a mother and son, is arrested after a dayslong manhunt
Oropesa was arrested in Cut and Shoot, Texas, approximately 17 miles from where the killings occurred. He is accused of carrying out the massacre after he was asked to stop shooting his rifle near a neighbor’s home. Oropesa’s cell phone initially led investigators to him, but the trail went cold.
The authorities then urged the public to come forward with any information and devoted more than 250 law enforcement officers and $80,000 in rewards for tips leading to his arrest. Finally, officials located Oropesa’s wife and arrested him after finding him hiding in a closet at a family member’s home.
Oropesa had entered the US illegally and had been deported by immigration officials at least four times since 2009
The victims, all Honduran nationals, have been identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, and her son Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, 9; Diana Velázquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and José Jonathan Cásarez, 18. All 15 people, including friends and godparents, had gathered at the home to prepare for a church event.
Before the massacre, Wilson Garcia, whose wife and son were killed, and two others had walked over to Oropesa’s yard to ask him to stop shooting so close to their home because Garcia’s baby was sleeping. The suspect refused, and Garcia called the police. The gunman charged into Garcia’s home, killing four adults and the 9-year-old boy. The victims had been shot “almost execution style” at close range above the neck.
The suspect has been held on a $5 million bond and is being investigated for any potential accomplices in hiding. The victims’ families are mourning, and the government of Honduras is preparing to repatriate the victims’ remains. The community is in shock, and loved ones are struggling to put their grief into words.
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