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Texas shooter suspect mugshot released after four day manhunt

03 May 2023 , 18:07
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San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office has released the mugshot for Francisco Oropesa (Image: San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office)
San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office has released the mugshot for Francisco Oropesa (Image: San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office)

Police have released the first mugshot of suspected Texas shooter Francisco Oropesa after he was arrested at the end of a four day manhunt.

Oropesa faces charges over the slaughter of five members of the same extended family at a home near Cleveland, Texas.

In the black and white mugshot released Wednesday, Oropesa can be seen staring blankly at the camera with his distinct tattoos clearly visible on his arms.

One of the victims had allegedly gone to the suspect's house to ask him to stop firing his gun so their baby could sleep.

The Mexican national is accused of reloading his assault rifle, going round to his neighbours house and massacring five people including a nine-year-old boy on April 29.

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Texas shooter suspect mugshot released after four day manhuntOropesa immediately after his arrest over the killing of five family members (Courtesy)

Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, with son Daniel, 9, and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18, were all killed in the slaughter.

Following the mass shooting, Oropesa went on the run, even at one point slipping past police even though they had him 'cornered' before eventually being tracked down 20 miles away from the crime scene hiding in a pile of laundry.

Video of the arrest has emerged showing a shirtless man sitting handcuffed inside a pickup truck surrounded by a number of law enforcement officers.

Texas shooter suspect mugshot released after four day manhuntOropesa's home in Cleveland, Texas (David J Phillip/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

Oropesa was arrested at 6.30pm on Tuesday in Conroe in Montgomery County, Texas which borders San Jacinto County home to the city of Cleveland where the shooting took place.

Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, wife of suspect Francisco Oropeza, was also in custody in connection with the Friday night shooting, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson.

Nava had previously denied knowledge of Oropeza's whereabouts, Henderson said, but authorities believe she hid him in the home near Conroe where he was arrested Tuesday.

Lamar Nava was arrested early Wednesday and was being held in the Montgomery County jail on a felony charge of hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon, according to online jail records.

Texas shooter suspect mugshot released after four day manhuntChildren play near the scene of the fatal shooting (David J Phillip/AP/REX/Shutterstock)

The records do not list a bond for her and indicate she was arrested by state police at a home in Conroe.

During the manhunt, it was revealed that Oropesa had been deported multiple times.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers described Oropesa as a "coward" and said: "He is uninjured and he is currently being taken into my facility.

Four human skulls wrapped in tin foil found in package going from Mexico to USFour human skulls wrapped in tin foil found in package going from Mexico to US

"He will live out his life behind bars for killing those five."

Oropesa is now being held on a $5million bond and is facing five counts of murder.

Texas shooter suspect mugshot released after four day manhuntThe Texas shooting victims. From top right, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, with son Daniel and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18.

The Bureau had previously appealed for information about Oropesa's whereabouts and said there were "zero leads".

Sheriff Capers said that "somebody got a tip" that allowed law enforcement to close in.

He said: "It was a multi-jurisdictional operation, to say the least. DPS, CID, US Marshals, FBI. We had a tag team, and they all meandered over there and found out that that tip to be true."

Charlie Jones

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