Texas shooting – live: Police hunt killer as child among five shot dead over neighbour gun noise complaint

Authorities are on the hunt for a suspect following a deadly shooting at a home in Texas in which five people died, including an eight-year-old.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the fifth died at a hospital in Cleveland, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said early on Saturday. The deceased, who ranged in age from eight to early forties, were from Honduras.

The gunman, described as a 39-year-old man from Mexico by authorities, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said Saturday.

The shooting, located around 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Houston, was reported around 10.30pm local time. Two female victims were found in the bedroom lying on top of two children who survived the ordeal, the report added.

The suspect, who has yet to be identified, is believed to have fled the country, the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office said on Saturday morning.

He is described as a Hispanic male who is approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and is described as having short black hair, as reported by ABC.

Key Points

• Five dead in Texas shooting as armed suspect on the loose

How a complaint over gun noise turned into a mass murder

23:00 , Andrea Blanco

A Texas man allegedly opened fire on his neighbours after they asked him to stop shooting rounds in his yard, authorities in Texas said on Saturday (29 April).

Five people, including an eight-year-old child and a 15-year-old girl, were killed in the Friday night violence, according to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.

Here’s everything we know about the shooting:

Everything we know about Texas mass shooting that left five dead

Republicans insist most gun violence happens in Democratic cities – the figures tell a different story

22:36 , Andrea Blanco

Conservatives like to paint Democratic states as crime-ridden warzones, but gun violence is worse in red states, The Independent’s Josh Marcus writes:

GOP says gun violence mostly happens in Democratic cities – the figures disagree

Suspect cornered, police say

21:57 , Andrea Blanco

According to KHOU11, authorities have moved reporters to an area about 1.5 miles away from the crime scene.

The suspect is now cornered, although little is known about the details.

The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office said earlier in the day that Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous.

This is what we know about the shooting suspect

21:21 , Andrea Blanco

Police in Cleveland, Texas, have identified the suspect in Friday night’s shooting as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza.

Oropeza, originally from Mexico, has been deported at least twice in the past, Univision 45 Houston reported.

According to NPR, Oropeza has been surrounded by police at an unknown location but is not yet in custody.

Oropeza was reportedly intoxicated when he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours.

Ten people were at the home when the violence took place. Five, including a 15-year-old girl and an eight-year-old, were killed.

Three children were found covered in blood and transported to a hospital, where they were determined to be uninjured.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

20:53 , Andrea Blanco

Among high-income countries around the world, the United States has for years stood out for one reason: its rate of gun violence.

Over the last decade, among relatively wealthy countries with populations of 10m or more, the rate of gun violence in the US has far surpassed that of any other nation. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the adjusted firearm homicide rate in the US is 22 times that of the European Union and more than that of Asian countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

Suspect identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza

20:30 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. Oropeza, who is originally from Mexico, is believed to have fled the country.

Gun activists slam Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s tweet following Friday shooting

20:04 , Andrea Blanco

Gun safety activist and Mothers Demand founder Shannon Watts criticized Mr Abbott’s reaction — or lack thereof — to the massacre.

The political leader, who tweeted a picture of his pet dog along with the caption “all smiles for the weekend” on Saturday, has yet to issue a statement regarding the shooting. The Independent has reached out to his office for comment.

“This is the Governor of Texas’ tweet AFTER learning that a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a family in his state, killing five people, including an 8-year-old,” Ms Watts wrote.

Brett Cross, who lost his son Uziye in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde last year, also lashed out at the Republican governor for not making mention of the deadly shooting.

“All smiles this weekend? No mention of the 5 that were murdered for asking a man to quit shooting so they could sleep?” Mr Cross tweeted. “The same damn smiles after Uvalde. The same damn smiles after Santa Fe. The same damn smiles after El Paso X2. F*** you and your smile.”

What do we know about the suspect?

19:09 , Andrea Blanco

Police in Cleveland, Texas, have identified the suspect in Friday night’s shooting as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza.

Oropeza, originally from Mexico, has been deported at least twice in the past, Univision 45 Houston reported.

According to NPR, Oropeza has been surrounded by police at an unknown location but is not yet in custody.

Oropeza was reportedly intoxicated when he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours.

Ten people were at the home when the violence took place. Five, including a 15-year-old girl and an eight-year-old, were killed.

Three children were found covered in blood and transported to a hospital, where they were determined to be uninjured.

Fifteen-year-old girl and eight-year-old boy among the victims

18:45 , Andrea Blanco

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the fifth died at a hospital.

The deceased, who ranged in age from eight to early forties, were from Honduras.

Police have yet to identify the victims

WATCH: Five dead, including eight-year-old, in Texas shooting

18:30 , Andrea Blanco

Gunman somewhere in the Houston area, authorities at the scene say

18:12 , Andrea Blanco

Speaking to reporters at the scene on Sunday morning, authorities said the suspect was somewhere in the Houston area.

Univision 45 Houston reports that Francisco Oropeza had been deported at least twice before the violence on Friday.

Suspect in deadly shooting surrounded by police

17:59 , Andrea Blanco

Francisco Oropeza, the 38-year-old suspect in the massacre on Friday night, is now surrounded by police, NPR reported.

The suspect is not in custody. The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office has said in an earlier press release that Oropeza was believed to have fled the country.

The Independent has reached out to authorities for comment.

Four months into the year, America has seen over 160 mass shootings. When will it stop?

17:28 , Andrea Blanco

“We don’t have to live this way; we don’t have to die this way,” the Twitter profile for Everytown for Gun Safety tweeted on Saturday, following the senseless massacre in Cleveland, Texas.

Texas gunman kills five neighbours including child, 8, after complaint over him shooting in yard, authorities say

16:55 , Andrea Blanco

A Texas man killed five people, including an eight-year-old child, after his neighbour asked him to stop shooting in his yard because their baby was asleep.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the fifth died at a hospital in Cleveland, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said early Saturday.

Read more:

Five dead in Texas shooting as armed suspect on the loose

Shooting suspect named and pictured

16:38 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. Oropeza, who is originally from Mexico, is believed to have fled the country.

Suspect at large 12 hours after shooting

16:11 , Andrea Blanco

The suspect in the deadly mass shooting in Cleveland, Texas, has yet to be arrested.

The gunman has been described as a 39-year-old Hispanic man, originally .from Mexico, who shot the victims after a neighbour complained about the noise he made while firing rounds in his backyard.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office saif on Sunday morning that the suspect is believed to have fled the country.

Victims shot ‘execution style,’ police say

15:43 , Andrea Blanco

The youngest victim of the shooting was eight years old. Two female victims were found in the bedroom lying on top of two children who survived the ordeal, the report added.

“The Honduran ladies that were laying over these children were doing it in such an effort as to protect the child,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

Authorities have said that a family member walked up to the fence and requested the gunman stopped shooting rounds in his own backyard. The suspect then allegedly responded that it was his property and the violence unfolded.

The gunman, described as a 39-year-old man from Mexico who is believed to have fled the country, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said on Saturday.

Survivor caught gunman on video moments before violence, police say

15:08 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities have said that a family member walked up to the fence and requested the gunman stopped shooting rounds in his own backyard. The suspect then allegedly responded that it was his property and the violence unfolded.

One of the survivors reportedly caught the moment the suspect walked into the house with the rifle on video.

The suspect is described as approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and with short black hair, ABC reported.

Manhunt after gunman, believed to have fled the country, kills five neighbours

14:54 , Andrea Blanco

Suspect, 39, shot neighbours over gun noise complaint, police say

14:40 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, described as a 39-year-old man from Mexico who is believed to have fled the country, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep, authorities said on Saturday.

The deceased, who ranged in age from eight to early forties, were from Honduras. Three surviving victims were transported to the hospital, and two other witnesses at the scene were evaluated by first responders and released.

Suspect believed to have fled the country

14:16 , Andrea Blanco

“Montgomery County SWAT arrived to assist and cleared several properties adjacent to the crime scene and determined that the shooter had fled the county,” the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on Saturday morning.

The suspect has not been identified. A judge has issued an arrest warrant and a $5m bond.

Sheriff deputies were on their way to answer harassment complaint when shooting unfolded

14:11 , Andrea Blanco

The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Saturday morning that night shift patrol deputies were dispatched to a residence in reference to a harassment complaint.

On their way there, deputies received multiple 911 calls of an active shooter incident at the dispatch location.

Five people were found deceased at the residence, including an eight-year-old child.

The suspect, who has not been identified, is on the loose.

First images of scene as officers hunt shooting suspect

13:50 , Emily Atkinson

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office also said that the suspect “has been known to shoot his 223 out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard”.

Night shift deputies were dispatched to a residence after a harassment complaint was called in.

However, as they were en route, multiple 911 calls were made to the communication centre citing an active shooter.

What we know about the suspect so far

13:29 , Emily Atkinson

Authorities are still looking for the suspect who appears to be a Mexican male armed with an AR-15 style rifle.

They said they are looking for a Hispanic male who is approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and is described as having short black hair, as reported by ABC.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office also said that the suspect “has been known to shoot his 223 out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard”.

Five dead in Texas shooting as armed suspect on the loose

13:15 , Emily Atkinson

Five people are dead following a shooting at a home in Texas, police have said.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the fifth died at a hospital in Cleveland, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said early Saturday.

The shooting in the community about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Houston was reported around 10:30 p.m.

My colleague Maryam Zakir-Hussain reports:

Five dead in Texas shooting as armed suspect on the loose