5 dead, including a child, after shooting at a Texas home and a suspect with AR-style rifle is still at large
A suspect is at large following a shooting Friday night at a home in Cleveland, Texas, that left five people, including an 8-year-old child, dead, authorities said.
Four of the victims were found dead inside a residence on Walters Road in the Trails End area, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on Saturday. The child died at a hospital.
Authorities said deputies were called to the home around 11:30 p.m. Friday in reference to a harassment complaint. The suspect, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, used an AR-style rifle in the shooting, according to The Associated Press.
“While enroute, the communications center received multiple 911 calls of an active shooter incident at the dispatch location,” the department said.
Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters that the deceased victims were all from Honduras and ranged in age from 8 to 40. They were located in the living room, a bedroom and the front door of the home.
Three juveniles were taken to the hospital. Sheriff Capers said they were “covered in blood” but it’s not clear if they had been shot.
He told reporters that the two women killed in the bedroom were lying over some of the surviving children.
Two others in the home were evaluated on scene and released, the sheriff’s office said.
The suspect, a Mexican national, is believed to have fled the county. An arrest warrant was issued for him and a judge assigned a $5 million bond. He faces five counts of murder.
The motive is still being investigated, but the sheriff said it could be related to the suspect shooting his gun on his property.
“The Mexican male subject has been known to shoot his [gun] out in the front yard which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard,” the sheriff told reporters.
The Texas Rangers are currently on scene assisting with the investigation.
