Authorities in Texas on Tuesday arrested the man they suspect of being responsible for the shooting deaths of five people, ending a days-long manhunt.
Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson confirmed the arrest of Francisco Oropeza, 38, to The Associated Press. Henderson said Oropeza was arrested without incident. He did not say whether the suspect was armed or how police managed to track him down after days of searching.
Oropeza was taken into custody in the city of Cut and Shoot, Texas, about 40 miles north of Houston, according to multiple reports.
His arrest comes four days after the killing of five people in a house in the town of Cleveland after the family asked their neighbor to stop shooting his assault rifle in his yard, according to police. The suspected gunman allegedly entered his neighbors’ house and shot and killed the five people, including a young boy. There were 10 people in the house, according to authorities.
The shooting led to a manhunt across the state, with more than 250 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies coming up empty in the first days of the search. There was also $80,000 in reward money being offered for Oropeza’s capture.
The killings sparked a political storm, with reports that the suspect was a Mexican national who appeared to be in the U.S. illegally. A number of Republicans called for stricter border security and immigration reform following the news.
Democrats pointed to the use of an AR-15 in the crime, the same type of weapon that has been used in countless mass shootings and killing in the U.S. They used it as a platform to call for stricter gun laws in the country.
The Hill has reached out to authorities for confirmation.