Mass shooter of Cleveland now arrested
Authorities in the Houston area claim they have apprehended a man suspected of shooting and killing five of his neighbors, including a 9-year-old boy, using an AR-15-style rifle after the family confronted him late at night about firing shots in their yard.
According to Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza was captured on Tuesday, four days after the shooting late on Friday in the town of Cleveland, located approximately 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Houston.
Henderson claims that the arrest of Oropeza went smoothly. The sheriff would not disclose whether or not Oropeza was armed, or how they determined his whereabouts.
Know More: Madden 22 best teams: Highest rated teams
Searching a dense woodland a few kilometers away from the site, police had deployed drones and scent-tracking dogs in their extensive search for Oropeza.
According to Sheriff Greg Capers of San Jacinto County, Oropeza escaped the scene following an attack that resulted in the deaths of four persons. At least once before, he added, the suspect’s residence had been visited by deputies because of gunfire in the suspect’s yard.
Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, had offered a $50,000 prize over the weekend for information leading to the identity of the shooter after receiving criticism for focusing on the victims’ immigrant status.
The three-term governor made the potentially inaccurate allegation that all of the victims were “illegal immigrants” while doing so; on Monday, his staff apologized for the remark.
U.S. Marshals were among the more than 250 law enforcement personnel who joined the search.
The alleged gunman is a Mexican national who, according to immigration authorities in the United States, has been deported four times before. The shooter had been deported twice prior to his death, in March 2009 and July 2016. Both in September 2009 and January 2012, he was removed from the country.
The victims were identified as 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman, and 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso.