Families are mourning the deaths of five individuals killed in a shooting in Texas, including a nine-year-old boy and two women who died while sheltering a two-year-old infant.
The incident happened in a remote community north of Houston when the gunman, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, refused to stop firing despite being “respectfully” urged to do so by Wilson Garcia and two others.
Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18, and Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, were identified as the victims.
According to officials, two female victims were located in the bedroom, laying on top of two surviving children. The youngsters were pulled from the scene, bloodied but unharmed.
Oropeza is still at large, and police are looking for him with a $80,000 (£64,000) reward, claiming he is armed and dangerous.
Wilson Garcia, who was in tears, talked to the reporters and described how the horrible massacre occurred.
He and his neighbours heard Francisco Oropeza discharge his rifle late Friday night, April 28.Mr Garcia went to Oropeza’s house with two other persons to beg him to shoot farther away from their house.
According to Mr Garcia, Oropeza refused and told them he could do anything he wanted on his land. He then phoned the police when Oropeza declined his plea.
Oropeza continued to shoot, and Mr Garcia’s family phoned the police five times until Oropeza raced towards Mr Garcia’s house while reloading after around 10 to 20 minutes.
Oropeza murdered Mr Garcia’s wife, who was standing at the front entrance, and then shot 15 individuals in all, killing four of them, including Mr Garcia’s 9-year-old son.
The AR-15-style rifle that Oropeza used in the shootings was retrieved by police.
Authorities recognised Oropeza using a Mexican identity card supplied to individuals living outside the country, as well as doorbell camera video.
More than 200 officers from various jurisdictions participated in the search for Oropeza.
Gov. Greg Abbott offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to Oropeza’s whereabouts before local authorities and the FBI chipped in, raising the total to $80,000.
