Texas Police Search for Shooter Who Killed 5
A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbors, including a nine-year-old boy, continued on Monday, as the FBI says it has no leads.
Facts
- A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbors, including a nine-year-old boy, continued on Monday, as the FBI says it has no leads.1
- The suspect, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, is believed to have fled the county and is considered armed and dangerous, authorities say. The FBI previously spelled the suspect's last name as "Oropeza" but released an updated spelling as "Oropesa" on Sunday "to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems."2
- Police said they believe the massacre occurred after neighbors asked the suspect to stop shooting his gun in the front yard because of a baby trying to sleep. The suspect, believed to be intoxicated, soon went to the neighbor's home where he shot and killed five people "execution style."3
- More than 200 officers from multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for Oropesa. An $80K reward is being offered for information that leads to the suspect’s arrest.4
- The victims have been identified as Daniel Enrique Laso, 9; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18. All the victims were believed to be from Honduras.1
- As he announced a reward for the capture of the suspect, Texas Governor Greg Abbott described the shooter as well as those he allegedly murdered as “illegal immigrants." The local sheriff, Greg Capers of San Jacinto, responded by saying the immigration status of the victims was irrelevant to investigators.5
Sources: 1Associated Press, 2NBC, 3ABC News, 4CNN, and 5Guardian.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by MSNBC. Abbott's disgusting xenophobic rhetoric is just an attempt to deflect from the role Republican lawmakers played in shaping Texas’s woeful gun laws. The GOP has created an unsafe environment for residents of the state.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. The immigration status of the suspect and victims is a valid point for Abbott to bring up. Somehow an illegal immigrant was able to get access to a gun and brutally massacre five people, including a child. Every possible angle of this tragic case should be scrutinized.
