A manhunt for the suspect in the deadly shooting in Cleveland, Texas, entered its second day with no leads on his whereabouts, authorities said.
Nearly 48 hours after the violent massacre that left five people dead, the FBI Houston Field Office and the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Officer said in a press conference on Sunday that the suspected gunman, 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, is still at large.
Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters that investigators have “zero leads” and more than 200 law enforcement personnel from several agencies continue an extensive search in the rural area just outside of Cleveland. Mr Oropesa, who is accused of killing five people, is considered armed and dangerous.
The office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott is offering a $50K reward for information that leads to Mr Oropesa’s arrest, Mr Capers said. FBI Special Agent James Smith said his agency is also contributing $25K to that sum, while local law enforcement is offering an extra $5K, bringing the total amount of reward to $80K.
Mr Smith was confronted by reporters who pointed out the FBI had released the picture of a man who is not Mr Oropesa in connection with the investigation, causing the photo of the wrong individual to be used by the media. Law enforcement also first said the suspect’s last name was Oropeza, but has since corrected the spelling.
“An investigation like this, we’re receiving information from a whole slew of agencies, and citizens” Mr Smith explained. “It was a mistake on our side, we identified it and we worked quickly to have it removed.”
Sheriff Capers became emotional as he announced a Sunday night vigil for eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, who was among five fatal victims in Friday’s (28 April) massacre.
“My heart is with this eight-year-old little boy, I don’t care if he was here legally, I don’t care if he was here illegally, he was in my county,” Sheriff Capers said. “Five people died in my county. And that’s where my heart is, in my county protecting my people to the best of my ability.”
The other victims have been identified as Daniel’s mother Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josué Jonatán Cáceres, 18, according to 12 News.
Authorities said Mr Oropesa is likely communicating with friends, noting that they hope the large reward sum incentivises somebody to come forward with information. At this point, officials said, it is not known whether Mr Oropesa is in the vicinity of the crime scene or if he has already left the county.
Investigators are now going door to door, asking neighbours about Mr Oropesa, and billboards and poster signs have been distributed across San Jacinto, Harris and Montgomery County.
“We have zero leads,” Mr Smith said. “Right now we’re running into dead ends.”
Mr Oropesa, who is originally from Mexico, has been charged with five counts of murder and burglary for allegedly shooting his neighbours dead when they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they had children in the home who were trying to sleep.
Describing the devastating scene that his deputies found on Friday night, Sheriff Capers said two women were found lying on top of three children to avoid the bullets from striking the minors. The women were pronounced dead at the scene.
“The three children that we put in an ambulance that night, they were covered in blood from the same ladies who died trying to protect them,” he said. “They’re [now] safe, they’re with family.”
