SAN JACINTO COUNTY, Texas (KETK) — The man suspected of shooting and killing five of his neighbors in Cleveland, Texas, was caught after a manhunt on Tuesday.
According to a report by NBC News, a person believed to be Francisco Oropesa, 38, was arrested in Cut and Shoot, Texas, which is west of Cleveland. In a press conference held on Tuesday night, officials said Oropesa was found in a residence hiding in a closet under laundry.
Oropesa was taken to the Mongomery County Jail and charged with five counts of murder, according to San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers. He will be moved to the San Jacinto County Jail and will be held on a $5 million bond.
This brings an end to a manhunt that involved more than 250 law enforcement officers, the FBI and a reward of $80,000 for information.
Law enforcement thanked the person who called in the tip on Oropesa’s whereabouts and said the person will receive the $80,000 reward.
Capers’ message to the family members of the victims:
“Well… they can rest easy now because he is behind bars, and he will live out his life behind bars for killing those five.”
The U.S. Marshal’s Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Border Patrol BORTAC team were on the scene as the arrest was made, authorities said.
On Friday night, Oropesa allegedly killed five of his neighbors in the Trails End area in Cleveland after being asked to stop shooting his AR-15 because an infant was sleeping in a house nearby, officials said.
The manhunt started on Friday after Oropesa allegedly left the scene of the shooting that took the lives of five people. The victims were identified as Daniel Enrique Laso, 9; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18.
Capers said that there were charges filed against Oropesa in 2022 and that there was a warrant issued for his arrest. The constable tried to serve him in another county but did not make contact with him. According to Capers, the victim later went to the San Jacinto County District Attorney’s Office and filed a non-prosecution statement.