In another mass shooting in the USA, a man shot dead five neighbours, including an 8-year-old kid, on Friday, 28th April 2023. Reportedly, he executed the massacre after several of them urged him to cease firing a semiautomatic rifle in his front yard in Cleveland Texas of USA since the noise was keeping their newborn awake. Notably, all the victims were shot above the neck in almost execution style.
There were 10 persons in the home at the time of the attack, five of whom survived. The deceased were named Sonia Argentina Guzman (25), Diana Velazquez Alvarado (21), Julisa Molina Rivera (31), Jose Jonathan Casarez (18), and Daniel Enrique Laso (8). The FBI said they all seemed to be residents of the home, but they did not constitute a single family. The shooter has been identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, who was reportedly drunk at the time of the incident.
The deceased were from Honduras, who had moved into the house earlier in the week, while Oropeza is a Mexican national.
NEW: A Texas man firing an AR-15 in his front yard killed five people in a neighboring home after they asked him to stop shooting because a baby was sleeping. Police said all were shot execution-style; the youngest victim was 8-years-old. #txlege https://t.co/8UsDJ56RfT
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) April 29, 2023
On Friday night, when the assailant Francisco Oropeza came out of his house and began firing shots into his yard, several of the victims came out to confront him and said they were attempting to keep a baby sleeping inside. “The neighbors walked over and said … ‘Hey man, can you not do that, we’ve got an infant in here trying to sleep’ or whatever,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.
Both parties then went back to their houses. Later, Oropeza topped off his with an AR-15-style weapon, exited his driveway onto the street, entered the home of the occupants, and began firing. The shooting was reported around 10.30 pm local time. Oropeza’s home had received calls from the police a few prior times due to concerns about the noise he was creating while shooting his rifle in his yard.
Witnesses said that Oropeza had been drinking and shooting rounds in his yard when the neighbours asked him to stop shooting. Taking offence at that request, he proceeded to kill them using his automatic weapon. Police said that Oropeza was caught on video walking up to the front door of the house.
At about 11:30 pm, authorities got a complaint regarding harassment from Cleveland, a city 45 miles north of Houston. When they arrived, they discovered numerous victims who had been shot. Two men and three women, including an 8-year-old kid, were among the deceased. In the bedroom, two female victims were found laying on top of two living kids. Unharmed but coated in blood, three juveniles were discovered. They were sent to a neighbourhood hospital. A total of 10 people were inside the home at the time of the shooting.
According to San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers, police were still seeking the perpetrator Francisco Oropeza who shot the neighbours late on Friday night inside their home with an AR-15-style gun. 18 hours after the assault, sheriff’s officers and FBI agents remained looking for the culprit, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, in a nearby forested area, according to Capers.
However, police reportedly recovered the murder weapon, Oropeza’s cell phone, and clothes.
Capers further said, “We are tracking him with dogs and men on horseback and drones in the air. Law enforcement had found an abandoned cellphone and some discarded clothing in the search area.”
“An extensive manhunt for Oropeza has not yielded his location. If you have any tips or information, please call our office immediately at 936-653-4367. You can remain anonymous,” the sheriff’s office posted on its Facebook page. “Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous, do not approach or attempt to apprehend. Contact local authorities immediately,” the added.
According to people in the area, hearing gunshots is a normal thing there. “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,” said a resident Rene Arevalo Sr., who said he heard gunshots around midnight but didn’t think anything of it. Oropeza was also known for regularly shooting, and police had visited at least once earlier over complaints about the same.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said that firing a gun on your own property can be illegal, but he did not say whether Oropeza had previously broken the law.
