A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbors Sunday went blank as officers knocked on doors, the governor paid $50,000 in reward money and the FBI seemed no closer to catching the killer after nearly two days of searching with a team that had swelled to hundreds of people .
“I can tell you now, we have no leads,” James Smith, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters while again asking the public for tips in the rural city of Cleveland, where Friday’s shooting occurred just before midnight.
The search for the shooter near Houston has escalated: Authorities said more than 200 police officers from multiple jurisdictions were searching for Francisco Oropeza Sunday night, many going door-to-door hoping for leads leading to the death 38. year-old suspect. Local officials and the FBI also contributed reward funds, bringing the total to $80,000 for information on Oropeza’s whereabouts.
Oropeza is believed to be armed and dangerous after fleeing the area, believed to be on foot, Friday night. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities had expanded the search area beyond the scene of the shooting, which came after the suspect’s neighbors asked him to stop firing shots in his yard late at night because a baby tried to sleep.
At a Sunday vigil in Cleveland, Wilson Garcia, the 1-month-old’s father, described the terrifying efforts by friends and family at his home that night to flee, hide and protect themselves and their children after Oropeza went to the house and started shooting, first killing his wife at the front door.
Another child of Garcia, 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso, was also killed. Garcia said he and two other people went to “respectfully” ask Oropeza to fire his gun farther from the house, which is on a street where residents say it’s not uncommon for neighbors to relax by firing guns.
Garcia said he walked away and called the police when Oropeza refused. It was 10 to 20 minutes later when he said he saw Oropeza loading his AR rifle while running towards the house.
“I said to my wife, ‘Go in. This man loaded his gun,'” Garcia said. “My wife told me to go in because ‘he’s not going to shoot me. I am a woman.'”
Authorities said at least five other people who were in the home at the time were unharmed.
In the early hours of the search, investigators found clothing and a phone while combing an area of dense forest cover, but sniffer dogs lost the scent, Capers said.
Authorities were able to identify Oropeza from an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens living outside the country and from doorbell camera footage. He said police also questioned the suspect’s wife on multiple occasions.
Police recovered the AR-15 style rifle they said Oropeza used in the shooting. Authorities were unsure if Oropeza was carrying another gun after others were found at his home.
Capers said he hoped the reward money would motivate people to provide information and that there were plans to put up billboards in Spanish to spread the word.
“We’re looking for closure for this family,” Capers said.
On Sunday, police cordon tape was removed around the victims’ home, where some people stopped by to leave flowers.
In the neighborhood, an FBI agent, police officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety and other officials were seen going door to door. A police officer stopped a red truck and asked to look inside before allowing the driver to proceed.
Veronica Pineda, 34, who lives across the street from the suspect’s home, said authorities asked if they could search her property to see if he could be hiding there. She said she was afraid the shooter hadn’t been caught yet.
“It’s kind of scary,” she said. “You never know where he may be.”
Pineda said she doesn’t know Oropeza well but has occasionally seen him, his wife and son riding their horses on the road. She said the family had lived there for about five or six years and that neighbors had called authorities in the past to complain about people firing guns.
The victims ranged in age from 9 to 31 and all were shot from the neck up, according to authorities. All were believed to be from Hondurus.
Enrique Reina, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Honduras, said Twitter that the Honduran Consulate in Houston will contact the families in connection with the repatriation of the remains, as well as the US authorities, to keep themselves informed of the investigation.
The FBI in Houston tweeted Sunday that it was referring to the suspect as Oropesa rather than Oropeza to “better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.” His family lists her name as Oropeza on a sign outside their court as well as in public records. Authorities had also previously stated that Garcia’s son was 8 years old, but the father and school officials said on Sunday that the third grader was 9 years old.
A total of three children, who were found covered in blood in the home, were taken to a hospital but were unharmed, Capers said. He said they were staying with family members.
FBI spokeswoman Christina Garza said investigators did not believe those present were members of a single family. In addition to the boy, the other victims were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julia Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18.
Garcia said they called police five times between the time they asked Oropeza to keep shooting away and the gunman entered their home. Capers said police got there as soon as possible and he had three officers covering 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers).
___
Associated Press writer Susan Haigh of Norwich, Connecticut, contributed to this report.
—————————————————-
Source link