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Authorities on Tuesday arrested a man accused of fatally shooting five people, including a 9-year-old boy, ending a days-long manhunt.
Francisco Oropesa, 38, who fled the scene of a mass shooting Friday evening near Cleveland, Texas, was taken into custody Tuesday evening in Montgomery County, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
Around 5:15 p.m., a tipster gave authorities information about Oropesa’s whereabouts, and he was arrested at 6:30 p.m., said Jimmy Paul, an FBI assistant special agent in charge, during a news conference Tuesday evening.
Paul did not say whether authorities are looking for people who may have helped hide Oropesa near the area he was arrested. He said investigators have “contacted multiple houses and families throughout the area,” and done “knock-and-talks.”
“We’ve gotten consent from the homeowners to go in and take a look so we’ve done those types of actions,” Paul said.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers confirmed Oropesa was uninjured when taken into custody.
Capers called Oropesa a “coward” and thanked the public, saying authorities received tips from around Texas, Wyoming, Florida, Maryland and more. He was found hiding in a closet, Capers said. No one else was taken into custody Tuesday, he added.
Oropesa is facing five counts of murder and his bail is $5 million, Capers said.
“I’m assuming that [authorities] are still at the house questioning the people that were at the house where the suspect was arrested,” Capers said.
An $80,000 reward had been offered for information leading to Oropesa’s capture.
“The money will be going to the person that called in the tip through the proper channels,” Capers said.
Oropesa, a Mexican national, had been deported four times, according to a KTRK-TV (ABC 13 in Houston) report. His current immigration status is unclear, the news station reported.
Capers said authorities are investigating how Oropesa was able to obtain the weapon used in the shooting.
The five people who died were identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; Daniel Enrique Laso, 9. Authorities have said Oropesa carried out the shooting after he was asked to stop shooting his gun outside in his yard.
He left the area following the shooting, leading to a search involving hundreds of law enforcement officers from multiple agencies.