5 people, including 8-year-old, killed in Texas shooting; suspect at large

Five people were killed, including an 8-year-old, during a shooting in Texas on Friday night, and the suspect is still at large, officials said. 

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said at a press conference that the office received a call just past 11:30 p.m. local time reporting harassment at a home in the town of Cleveland, located not far from Houston. He said patrol units found several people shot, and a total of five eventually died. 

He said the victims’ ages range from 8 to about 40 years old. He said officials know they were all from Honduras. 

Four of the victims died at the scene, while the 8-year-old died at a hospital. 

The sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post that three additional patients were taken to a hospital, but their conditions are unknown. The office said two other people were medically evaluated on scene and released. 

The victims’ names are not being released as authorities notify their next of kin. 

Capers said officials are “actively looking” for the suspect, whom he identified on Saturday afternoon 39-year old Francisco Oropeza, a Mexican national. Authorities told local news outlets that they have “made contact” with the suspect.

He was reportedly armed with an AR-15-style rifle and is about 5 feet, 8 inches tall. 

He added that the suspect has been known to shoot a .223 rifle in the front yard, evidenced by shell casings that have been found. 

Capers said 10 people were present in the house at the time of the shooting. He said two females who were killed in a bedroom of the house were laying on top of two younger children who survived. 

ABC News reported that officials believe the shooting happened after neighbors asked the suspect to not shoot his firearm in the front yard because a baby was trying to sleep. 

Capers told the Houston-based ABC affiliate KTRK that his understanding is that the suspect had been drinking and said “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard” before opening fire. 

“Everybody that was shot was shot from the neck up almost execution style, basically in the head,” Capers said. 

The office said an arrest warrant has been issued for the suspect and a $5 million bond has been assigned.