Police Seek ‘Mexican Male’ in Shooting That Killed 5 in Texas

A police officer crosses under police tape as members of the media gather near the 1100 bl
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AWR Hawkins

Law enforcement officials are seeking a “Mexican male” in connection with a shooting that left five people dead in Cleveland, Texas, Friday night, Fox News reports.

The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office received a “harassment” call and responding deputies found four victims shot to death and an eight-year-old boy critically wounded.

The boy was transported to a hospital, where he died.

All of the victims are believed to be from Honduras, according to San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers.

Capers said his office received the “harassment” call at 11:31 p.m.

Capers said law enforcement is actively searching for the “Mexican male subject” believed to be the shooter and have “a copy of his consulate card.”

He said the Mexican man “has been known to shoot his .223 in the front yard, which is evident from the shell casings in the front yard.”

Capers believes the suspect has fled the area.

Jacinto County Sheriff Department

UPDATE:

ABC News reports that San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers believes the homicides occurred after the suspect became enraged over being asked to quit shooting a gun in his front yard.
Capers said, “My understanding is that the victims, they came over to the fence and said ‘Hey could [you not do your] shooting out in the yard? We have a young baby that’s trying to go to sleep,’ and he had been drinking and he says ‘I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.'”
He also noted that two of the five shooting victims were lying on top of children who survived the attack. Capers said, “In my opinion, they were actually trying to take care of the babies and keep [the] babies alive.”
The suspect has been identified as 39-year-old Francisco Oropeza, a Mexican national.
The Associated Press reports:
Capers said there were 10 people in the house — some of whom has just moved there earlier in the week — but that that no one else was injured. He said two of the victims, all believed to be from Honduras, were found laying over two children in a bedroom.

Two other victims, a male and female, were found by the front door and the slain child was in the front room. Capers said three other “blood-covered” children were found in the home and taken to a hospital, where they were determined to be uninjured.

[…]

Three of the victims were women and one was a man. Their names were not released. Capers said the victims were between the ages of 8 and about 40 years old.

Capers said his deputies had been to Oropeza’s home at least once before and spoken with him about “shooting his gun in the yard.” It was not immediately clear whether any action was taken at the time.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. AWR Hawkins holds a PhD in Military History, with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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