Police in Texas have expanded their search for Francisco Oropeza, 38, a man suspected of killing five of his neighbors, including an eight-year-old boy, after they asked him to stop firing guns in his yard while they were trying to sleep. The shooting occurred on Friday in the town of Cleveland, north of Houston. San Jacinto Sheriff Greg Capers said the search area stretches as far as 10 or 20 miles from the scene of the shooting.
The victims, all believed to be from Honduras, were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18, and Daniel Enrique Laso, eight. Two of the victims were found laying over two children in an apparent attempt to shield them. The confrontation followed a request to stop shooting rounds with one of the people in the house recording the suspect walking up to the front door with a rifle. Police confirmed they had spoken to Oropeza at least once before about shooting his gun in the yard.
Francisco Oropeza (Via Francisco Oropeza/Twitter)
Several of the people in the home had moved from Houston earlier in the week. Neighbor Rene Arevalo Sr said he heard gunshots around midnight but had not considered it unusual. “It’s a normal thing people do around here, especially on Fridays after work. They get home and start drinking in their backyards and shooting out there,” he said.
The attack was the latest in a string of mass shootings in the US. A database compiled by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University said there have been at least 18 shootings which left four or more people dead this year.
