The suspect in the deaths of 5 people in a Cleveland, Texas home has been apprehended after a tip-off, on Tuesday. The arrest capped off a four-day search for 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, who was wanted in connection with a mass shooting that took place just 20 miles from where was captured.
Over 250 law enforcement personnel were deployed to help search for Oropesa, starting with a 2-mile drag net that very quickly widened, as authorities were left with zero leads as to Oropesa’s whereabouts.
The crime that led to Oropesa’s arrest left a community devastated Friday around midnight, going into Saturday morning. Oropesa is accused of entering the house of his neighbor, Wilson Garcia, and gunning down 5 people, including a 9-year-old boy. The catalyst for the attack seems to be a request Garcia and two other neighbors made for Oropesa to cease firing his weapon on his property – a request that had never provoked any kind of confrontation in the past. However, according to Garcia, shortly after the request was made, Oropesa approached the property with an AR-style rifle. Wilson Garcia’s wife stood at the front door, believing Oropesa would never shoot a woman, according to an account given by Garcia. Unfortunately, she turned out to be mistaken, as she became the first of Oropesa’s victims.
The tip that came in on Tuesday led investigators to a home in Cut and Shoot, Texas, where Oropesa was found hiding in a pile of laundry and arrested along with several others on the property. Oropesa’s wife was among those arrested, suspected of helping her husband escape law enforcement and evade capture.
On Saturday, investigators found the AR-style rifle they believe was used in the deadly attack. They also found clothes and a cell phone connected to Oropesa.
Customs and Border Protection acting commissioner Troy Miller praised the work of the border patrol’s elite BORTAC unit which helped catch Oropesa; as well as Air and Marine operations for providing aerial support and overwatch surveillance.
Oropesa is currently being held on a $5 million bond at the Montgomery County Jail.
