Texas "execution-style" shooting leaves five dead, including 9-year-old

Cleveland, Texas - A manhunt was under way on Saturday after five people were fatally shot, including a nine-year-old child, inside a home in south-east Texas, police said.

A manhunt was under way on Saturday after five people were fatally shot, including an eight-year-old child, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said.
A manhunt was under way on Saturday after five people were fatally shot, including an eight-year-old child, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said.  © Go Nakamura / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Deputies with the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office were initially called to a residence in the Trails End area of Cleveland, Texas, late Friday night to investigate reports of harassment, Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters. While they were en route, authorities received a series of 911 calls about a shooting at the same location.

Capers said the suspect, Francisco Oropeza, has been known to shoot his AR-15 in the yard of his home. Investigators believe he was intoxicated and began firing the weapon on his front porch in the moments before the killings, KTKR reported.

Around 11:30 PM, his neighbors asked him to stop, explaining they had a baby trying to sleep inside, but he came enraged by the request and opened fire on them instead.

When deputies arrived on the scene, they discovered four people dead inside the home, according to Click2Houston, shot in what the sheriff's office called "almost execution style". A child was also wounded and airlifted to a nearby hospital, where they were pronounced dead a short time later.

Manhunt for Texas suspect ongoing

Police say suspect Francisco Oropeza became enraged by a request from neighbors that he stop shooting his gun in his yard and opened fire on them instead.
Police say suspect Francisco Oropeza became enraged by a request from neighbors that he stop shooting his gun in his yard and opened fire on them instead.  © Go Nakamura / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

Authorities also found three other children at the scene. They were evaluated by paramedics and taken to a hospital, where officials concluded they were not injured. Two more people were evaluated by a medical team, and have since been released.

In total, 10 people were inside the house when the violence unfolded, Capers said. The victims ranged in age from nine to 40 years old and they are all from Honduras, KHOU reported.

Police have described Oropeza as a Hispanic man who is 5-feet-8-inches tall with a goatee and short black hair. They have issued a warrant out for his arrest on five counts of murder. His bond is set at $5 million.

Capers said he likely fled the county and that "he's at least 10 to 20 miles away from here."

The identities of the victims won't be released until next of kin has been notified.

Cover photo: Go Nakamura / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

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