A days-long manhunt in Texas is over after police found accused shooter 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa less than 20 miles from where he allegedly opened fire and killed five people in Cleveland, Texas. Police have also arrested several others in connection with the shooting, including Oropesa's longtime partner, Divimara Lamar Nava.
The incident allegedly began when Oropesa's neighbor, Winston Garcia, asked him to stop shooting his gun from his porch because it was disturbing Garcia's 1-month-old baby. This reportedly enraged Oropesa, who stormed Garcia's home and killed five people, including a 9-year-old boy. The suspected gunman escaped on foot. After four days and hundreds of police officer searches, Oropesa is now in custody.
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The mass shooting may have been fueled by alcohol.
Garcia told ABC 13 he asked Oropesa to stop shooting around his baby because the noise was startling.
Oropesa then reportedly approached Garcia's home and shot his wife, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzmán Taibot, before entering the house and killing four others: Garcia's son, Daniel Enrique Laso, 9; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18, who all died of gunshot wounds, NBC News reported.
Garcia told ABC 13 he never thought his neighbor would shoot. "I never had a problem with him. I can't believe what he did," he said.
Oropesa escaped after the shooting, seemingly without a trace.
Before Oropesa's arrest, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers and James Smith, special agent in charge of the FBI's Houston office, addressed the media and explained they had no leads. They believed the alleged gunman had run away and said they were going door-to-door to locate Oropesa. Law enforcement was confident they would find him.
"I pretty much can guarantee you; he's contacted some of his friends. We just don't know what friends they are. And that's what we need from the public, any type of information. Right now, we're just running into dead ends," Smith explained in a press conference, per ABC 13.
Oropesa's partner was in contact with the police.
CNN reported that Nava, Oropesa's longtime partner and mother of his child, was among those arrested in connection with the case. Nava reportedly communicated openly with law enforcement several times in the days leading up to Oropesa's capture. Arrest records obtained by the news outlet show Nava is in Montgomery County Jail, facing a charge of hindering apprehension or prosecution of a known felon, a third-degree felony.
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Authorities found Oropesa in a closet.
A tip led law enforcement to Oropesa, who was hiding inside a closet under a pile of laundry, CNN reported. Nava was also found at the home, which a law enforcement source told CNN is associated with one of Oropesa's relatives.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, multiple police agencies, and the FBI banded together to offer an $80,000 reward for information leading to the alleged gunman's arrest.
"We just want to thank the person who had the courage and bravery to call in the suspect's location," said FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul.
Oropesa is due in court on Wednesday.
He currently faces five counts of murder and sits on a $5 million bond, CNN reported. A San Jacinto Sheriff's source said charges could be upgraded to capital murder, which could mean the death penalty in Texas if Oropesa is convicted.
