Officials announced on Tuesday that law enforcement agents had apprehended Francisco Oropesa, 38, in the city of Cut and Shoot, Texas, marking the end of a massive four-day manhunt. Oropesa is accused of using an AR-15 rifle to kill five of his neighbors, including a 9-year-old boy, in Cleveland, Texas, on Friday night after being asked to stop firing his weapon.
A tip called into an FBI line led to Oropesa’s arrest, and he is being held on $5 million bond: he will be charged with five counts of murder. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers described Oropesa as a coward and revealed that he was found hiding in a closet beneath some laundry, although details of the home’s location were not disclosed. The case is still under investigation, and the arrest brought an end to a sprawling search involving over 250 law enforcement officers, the FBI, and an $80,000 reward for information.
Garcia reported that they approached the man and requested him to stop shooting or move further away from the house. However, the man replied by asserting his right to do as he pleased on his property. Garcia then asked the man to turn down the noise or relocate, but the man insulted them instead. Eventually, the victims decided to contact the police.
The victims have been identified as 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman (Garcia’s wife and Laso’s mother), 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera, and 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez.
