WASHINGTON: A man accused of massacring five neighbors after they asked him to stop firing his rifle in his yard was captured on Tuesday (May 2) after a days-long manhunt, Texas law enforcement said.
Francisco Oropesa had eluded authorities since the shooting on Friday in the small town of Cleveland in south-eastern Texas.
“We now have this man in custody,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters at a press conference on Tuesday night.
“He was caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry.”
The 38-year-old Mexican national is accused of attacking his neighbors after they allegedly asked him to stop shooting his semi-automatic AR-15 rifle because the noise was keeping a baby awake.
The victims were between the ages of nine and 31, with several other residents in critical condition with multiple gunshot wounds.
Capers said the surviving family members could “rest easy” now that Oropesa was behind bars.
Authorities deployed hundreds of law enforcement officers to look for the suspect and offered an US$80,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
FBI special agent Jimmy Paul told reporters on Tuesday night that a call to the bureau’s tip line ultimately led law enforcement to Oropesa, who was arrested north of Houston at around 6.45pm local time (11.45pm GMT, 7.45am Wednesday morning, Singapore time).
“I just want to thank the person who had the courage and bravery to call in the suspect’s location,” he said.
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