The search for a Mexican national man in Texas who shot his neighbors after they asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard continues, with authorities saying the man could be anywhere by now.
Francisco Oropeza, 38, fled after the shooting Friday night, leaving five people dead, including an 8-year-old boy.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Saturday evening that authorities had widened the search to as far as 20 miles from the shooting scene.
Capers said they were able to identify Oropeza through his Mexican consulate card and a doorbell camera.
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Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area with dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said.
“At this time, there are 4 people confirmed deceased inside of the residence. It was reported that the 8 year old child was pronounced deceased at the hospital. There were 3 other patients transported to the hospital. Their status is not known at this time. There were 2 additional people inside the residence that were evaluated on scene and released,” said San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office in a statement.
Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Oropeza allegedly used in the shootings, but authorities were unsure if he was carrying another weapon, the sheriff said.
“He could be anywhere now,” Capers said.
In an interview, Capers described what happened.
“This man takes it upon himself to walk out of his residence with a loaded AR-15, walk out into the street, walk down the street, walk into that man’s driveway, walk up into that man’s house, and start shooting.”
The sheriff said it has been a difficult case.
“To walk in the door and see four, and then a baby at the hospital, being the fifth one, is grotesque,” he said in the interview.
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The sheriff said the scene was extremely difficult in this case, calling it ‘grotesque.’
“To walk in the door and see four, and then a baby at the hospital, being the fifth one, is grotesque,” he said in the interview.
He said he believes as many as 15 rounds were shot inside the victims’ home.
Victims were found in the living room, a bedroom, and by the front door of the home.
“There was two females in the bedroom that were laying on top of juvenile children and, my opinion, to keep them children safe,” Capers said in an interview.
“All of them were headshot in an execution-style,” he said.
Authorities describe Oropeza as a Hispanic man who is 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 160 pounds. He was last seen wearing jeans, a black shirt, and work boots. Investigators said he has a goatee and short black hair.
A judge has issued an arrest warrant for Oropeza and assigned a $5 million bond. Authorities believe Oropeza left by walking or on a bicycle and is currently within a two-mile radius of the scene.
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