The dad whose wife and child were among 5 killed by a neighbor in Texas describes how the massacre unfolded

Authorities are pleading for the public’s help as they search for a shooter suspected of killing five people — including a 9-year-old boy — after the child’s father asked the gunman to stop firing his rifle near the family’s home.

More than 250 law enforcement officers and $80,000 in reward money have been devoted to capturing Francisco Oropesa, 38, who police say gunned down his neighbors Friday night at their home northeast of Houston. He’s considered armed and dangerous, an FBI official said.

Moments before the massacre, Wilson Garcia and two other men had walked over to Oropesa’s yard to ask him to stop shooting so close to their home because their baby was sleeping, Garcia told CNN. They’d asked Oropesa to shoot on the other side of his property, he said.

The gunman later came to Garcia’s home, shooting his wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, in the doorway before killing three other adults and Garcia’s son, Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, the grieving father said.

“One of the people who died saw when my wife fell to the ground,” Garcia told CNN.

“She told me to throw myself out the window because my children were already without a mother. So one of us had to stay alive to take care of them. She was the person who helped me jump out the window.”

The woman who helped Garcia flee did not survive, he said.

When police arrived, they found the victims had been shot “almost execution style” at close range above the neck, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told local media.

Before the deadly confrontation at Garcia’s home in Cleveland, Texas, five 911 calls had been made to report the gunman shooting his rifle outdoors, the father said.

Authorities got to the scene as fast as they could, Capers said. But his small force covers a large county, he said, and the home is about 15 minutes outside town.

The other victims have been identified as Diana Velázquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and José Jonathan Cásarez, 18. Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman turned 9 in January, Garcia said; authorities previously said he was 8.

Extensive search yields ‘zero leads’

A collective $80,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Oropesa.

“We consider him armed and dangerous,” said James Smith, FBI Houston special agent in charge. “He’s out there, and he’s a threat to the community.”

Authorities had “zero leads” on Oropesa’s location as of Sunday afternoon, Smith said, adding the Mexican national could be anywhere.

Oropesa’s wife has been interviewed multiple times and is in “constant contact” with investigators, the sheriff said.

Authorities had been tracking Oropesa’s cell phone but found it abandoned Saturday along with some clothes, Capers said. Tracking dogs picked up a scent from the items, but the trail vanished, Capers said.

Officers have been going door-to-door seeking security camera footage or any other information residents may have, Capers said.

The hefty reward for Oropesa’s arrest will be advertised on Spanish-language billboards in the area, urging the public to submit tips, the sheriff said.

“I can pretty much can guarantee you he’s contacted some of his friends,” said Smith, the FBI agent. “We just don’t know which friends they are, and that is what we need from the public is any type of information.”

Victims’ bodies to be repatriated to Honduras

After officials confirmed those killed were all Honduran nationals, the Honduran Foreign Ministry is preparing to repatriate their remains, it said.

“The Government of Honduras deeply regrets the loss of these valuable lives and accompanies all their loved ones in their pain. We demand that the pertinent authorities arrest the perpetrator of this terrible event and apply the full weight of the law,” the agency said in a statement.

There had been 15 people in the house at the time of the shooting, Garcia told CNN. Authorities previously had said there were 10 people in the home.

The sheriff got emotional Sunday when he spoke about Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, the young boy who was killed

“I don’t care if he was here legally. I don’t care if he was here illegally. He was in my county,” Capers said. “Five people died in my county, and that is where my heart is — in my county, protecting my people to the best of our ability.”

The-CNN-Wire
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