Gunman On The Loose After Reportedly Killing At Least 5 People, Including 8-Year-Old

SAN JACINTO COUNTY, Sheriff Greg Capers reported that a gunman is currently at large following the murder of at least five people in San Jacinto County, Texas.

The incident began as a harassment call to the sheriff’s office, which was made shortly after 11:30 p.m. on Friday night. The call originated from a home in the Trails End subdivision on Walter Drive, where a shooting ensued.

Sheriff Capers stated that multiple people were found shot in the vicinity of the house, with ten individuals present during the attack. The victims, all of whom were from Honduras, ranged in age from 8 to 40 years old. Four fatalities were reported at the scene, while the 8-year-old child succumbed to injuries at a nearby hospital. Three other individuals were discovered inside the residence, covered in blood but unharmed.

According to investigators, the shooter, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, was confronted by neighbors and requested to halt his shooting, as a young child was attempting to sleep nearby. Oropeza insisting that he would keep doing as he pleased on his own property.

Oropeza, who is known to have frequently fired his rifle in his front yard, has since absconded from the area, with law enforcement officials believing him to be at least 10 to 20 miles away. A SWAT team discovered several guns at Oropeza’s residence, and he has been charged with five counts of murder by the sheriff’s office.