“Zero Leads” On Texas Man Still Charged With Murder Of 5 Neighbors: Police

Mass shootings have become common in the United States (Representational)

More than 200 law enforcement officers in Texas searched for a man accused of shooting and killing five neighbors on Sunday after being told to stop firing a semiautomatic rifle in Cleveland, Texas.

Francisco Oropesa, 38, is accused of opening fire on neighbors late Friday after being told to stop shooting with an AR-15-style rifle because it was keeping a child awake. An 8-year-old child is also included in the dead.

“At this point in time, we have no leads,” James Smith, special agent in charge of the FBI Houston, told reporters on Sunday.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said more than 200 law enforcement personnel are going door-to-door looking for the suspect or providing any tips on how to find him. Authorities are offering an $80,000 reward for information that will lead to the apprehension of the suspect.

The FBI said Sunday that Oropesa’s name was spelled “Oropeza” in initial communications with law enforcement, but was changed to “better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.” It gave no further details.

Authorities received a call at 11:31 p.m. Friday from the home in Cleveland, about 45 miles (72 km) north of Houston.

Capers said Saturday that the suspect came out of his home Friday night and began firing shots into his yard when some of the victims told him to stop.

“The guy went over to the fence, said ‘Hey, we’re trying to put the baby down here,'” Capers said.

After this both the parties went to their respective homes. Oropesa “shot his magazine” and “then” went into people’s houses across the street and started shooting, Capers said.

Capers stated that most of the victims had been shot in the head, “almost execution-style.” Police said all five were residents of Honduras.

Capers said that on a few previous occasions, police had been called to the suspect’s home to complain about gunshots in his yard.

The victims were identified as 25-year-old Sonia Argento Guzmán; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julissa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Lesso, 8. They were all believed to be living in the home, but according to the FBI, they were not members of the same family.

Mass shootings are set to become more common in the United States with at least 176 so far in 2023, the most this year since at least 2016, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The nonprofit group defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are injured or killed, including the shooter.

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