The man wanted by the authorities for the massacre on Friday night in Cleveland (Texas), in which five Latinos died, including a 9-year-old boy, had entered the United States illegally and had been deported at least four times. , as confirmed to Telemundo News by sources from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE).
Francisco Oropesa, 38, who is being pursued by some 200 agents from various law enforcement agencies, who consider him armed and dangerous, had been deported from the country by ICE twice in 2009, once in 2012, and again in 2016, according to the cited ICE sources.
It is unclear what Oropesa's current immigration status is, or how long he has been in the country since his last deportation in July 2016. A neighbor told The Associated Press news agency that Oropesa, his wife and son were carrying living in that neighborhood for five or six years, and that complaints to the authorities against them for gunshots were frequent.
Oropesa was also arrested for driving under the influence in Montgomery County, Texas, in 2012 and went to jail for it, according to the CNN news network.
The alleged murderer of five Latinos in Texas "could be anywhere", according to the police
April 30, 202301:59
The five fatalities (García, his son, his wife, and three family friends: Diana Velázquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and José Jonathan Casarez, 18) were originally from Honduras.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, said in a statement Sunday that both the alleged murderer and the victims were "illegal immigrants."
Noticias Telemundo confirmed that at least one of the victims, Diana Velasquez, was a permanent resident.
The police have "zero leads"
Authorities have asked for the public's help in apprehending the suspect and have admitted that they currently have "zero leads" as to his whereabouts.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers has said finding him is his "number one priority."
Police have been going door to door looking for clues to find Oropesa and Gov. Greg Abbott offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture, which was raised to $80,000 by the FBI and other local agencies.
Police recovered the AR-15 type rifle that Oropesa allegedly used in the attack.
Authorities weren't sure if he was carrying another weapon after they found several more at his home,
but said he should be considered armed and dangerous.
It is believed that he fled from there on foot.
During the first hours of the search in a heavily wooded area, investigators found clothing and a cell phone, but the dogs lost track of him, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.
[Latino who lost his wife and baby in the Texas massacre explains what prompted the shooting]
The authorities identified Oropesa thanks to an identity card issued by the Mexican authorities to citizens residing outside the country.
They also saw her face in the images of a camera on the doorbell of the house.
And they have interviewed his wife several times.
They hope the reward money will motivate leads, and they plan to put up billboards in Spanish.
The shooting occurred around 11:30 p.m. (local time) on Friday, after Wilson García and two other people who were with him went to his neighbor's house to "respectfully" ask him to shoot further away, because they were trying to put her two month old baby to sleep.
Survivors of the shooting that left five dead in Texas recount the horror of what they experienced
May 1, 202301:59
“He told us that he was on his property and that he could do whatever he wanted,” Garcia said at a vigil Sunday for his son and his wife.
The family called the police several times, but the officers were delayed.
Between 10 and 20 minutes after Garcia returned from speaking with him, Oropesa loaded his gun and attacked his neighbors.
There were 15 people in the house, several of them friends of Garcia's wife, who had accompanied her to a church retreat.
The attacker appeared to have intended to kill all of them, Garcia said.
When asked why it took so long for the police to arrive, Capers replied that he only had three officers to patrol an area of 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers).
