Tuesday, May 2nd 2023, 8:11 pm
A man suspected in a mass shooting near the Texas town of Cleveland last week which left five people dead — including a 9-year-old boy — has been captured following an extensive manhunt, federal officials confirmed to CBS News.
Francisco Oropesa, 38, was arrested in the area of Conroe, Texas, following a multi-day search, sources confirmed to CBS News. The details of the arrest were still unclear. The San Jacinto County District Attorney's Office also confirmed to CBS News that Oropesa was in custody, adding that the FBI, Border Patrol and U.S. Marshals were involved in the apprehension. A news conference was scheduled for later Tuesday night.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers previously said the suspect shot his neighbors Friday night after they asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard.
The attack happened near the town of Cleveland, which is located north of Houston. Conroe is located about 17 miles west of Cleveland.
Capers reported that the victims were between the ages of 9 and 31 years old, and that all were believed to be from Honduras. All were shot "from the neck up," he said. They were identified as Sonia Guzman, 28; Diana Velasquez, 21; Obdulia Molina, 31; Jonathan Caceres, 18, and Daniel Enrique Lazo, 9.
Police on Saturday recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Oropesa was believed to have used in the shootings, Capers said. Investigators had also found clothes and a cell phone believed to belong to the suspect.
A Mexican national, Oropesa was ordered removed by a U.S. immigration judge and deported by ICE agents in Houston in 2009. After re-entering the country, he was apprehended and removed again several times over the next seven years, CBS News has learned. Oropesa has a prior conviction in Montgomery County, Texas, for driving while intoxicated and was sentenced to serve time in jail for the offense.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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