Global Courant 2023-05-03 09:47:38
Authorities credited the arrest of Texas mass shooting suspect, 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, Tuesday night to a tip submitted through the FBI tip line.
“Someone has a tip,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said at a news conference Tuesday. “It was a multi-jurisdictional operation to say the least. DPS, CIDUS Marshals, FBI. We had a tag team and they all came over there and found out that tip was true.”
Authorities said the tip about the suspect’s location came in at 5:15 p.m. About 75 minutes later, Oropesa was taken into custody unharmed in the Cleveland area.
Oropesa (also spelled “Oropeza”) is a Mexican national suspected of shooting and killing five of his neighbors before midnight on April 28.
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A Texas state trooper vehicle passes a posted wanted sign Tuesday, May 2, 2023 for a mass shooting suspect near where Friday’s shooting occurred, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott and crime stoppers in multiple counties announced a combined $55,000 for a tip that resulted in Oropesa’s arrest.
FBI Agent James Smith announced on Sunday an additional $25,000 FBI award related to the investigation, raising the total award amount to $80,000.
The authorities said during the press conference that the person will get the amount for his help.
This undated photo released by the FBI (Houston) shows Francisco Oropeza. Knocks continue on Oropeza, who is accused of shooting and killing five of his neighbors late Friday, April 28, 2023, in the rural community of Cleveland, Texas. (FBI via AP)
FBI ASAC Jimmy Paul said the FBI was “extremely delighted that the suspect was apprehended” and also praised the “courage and bravery” of the person who submitted the tip.
“The tip for the suspect’s location came in through the FBI tip line. And we want to thank the person who had the courage and courage to call the suspect’s location,” said Paul.
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He added: “We’ve always said it’s not a question of if, but when the suspects get caught. And we’re extremely happy that today was when.”
A law enforcement officer stands on the outskirts of the San Jacinto County Jail after the suspected gunman of a mass shooting arrived Tuesday, May 2, 2023 in Coldspring, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
The suspect was arrested in Cleveland, about 20 miles from the home where the initial shooting took place. The Border Patrol’s elite BORTAC unit apprehended the suspect without incident.
“He was caught hiding in a closet under some laundry. They were effective (and) made the arrest. He is unharmed and is currently being taken to my facility in Cold Springs,” Capers said.
Investigators said the April 28 shooting was reportedly prompted by neighbors who requested that Oropesa move further from their home while he was firing a shotgun in his yard.
Members of the rural community often shoot guns outside their homes, but the neighbor expressed frustration because their child was having trouble sleeping.
Oropesa then reportedly attacked neighbors, reloaded his AR-15 and fired the weapon, hitting four adults: Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velázquez Alvarado, 21; Julia Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18. They were pronounced dead at the scene.
Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman, age 9, was also beaten. He was airlifted to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, a memorial will be displayed outside the home where a mass shooting took place on Friday, in Cleveland, Texas. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
A massive manhunt was launched after the shooting to locate Oropesa.
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Sheriff Capers said more than 225 law enforcement officers assisted in the manhunt, which also included searches in Wyoming, Florida, South Texas, North Texas, Oklahoma and Maryland.
He later mentioned in the press that the Department of Homeland Security was also involved in the manhunt and subsequent arrest, as well as the ongoing investigation.
Oropesa has been deported from the US several times.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
