The 38-year-old Mexican national that law enforcement officials are searching for in Texas for allegedly murdering five of his neighbors is reportedly an illegal alien who has been deported from the U.S. multiple times.
San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told Breitbart on Sunday that officials from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) informed him that Francisco Oropesa is thrice-deported illegal alien who was last removed from the country in 2016.
Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin subsequently confirmed the news: “I’m told he’s been previously deported, has ‘multiple’ illegal re-entries on his record, and was last encountered by ICE in 2016.”
The FBI’s field office in Houston released new photos of Oropesa on Sunday afternoon that appear to have been taken at three different moments in time because he is wearing different clothing and he appears to be in a government facility in each of the photos.
“Here are the newest images of Francisco Oropesa and a prominent tattoo on his left forearm,” the FBI’s tweet said. “Going forward, the subject’s last name will be spelled ‘Oropesa’ to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.”
Here are the newest images of Francisco Oropesa and a prominent tattoo on his left forearm.
Going forward, the subject's last name will be spelled "Oropesa" to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems. This remains a fluid investigation. #ClevelandTXShooting pic.twitter.com/ZWUu0FqoMF
— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) April 30, 2023
Oropeza allegedly murdered five of his neighbors after they asked him to stop shooting his gun because they had a baby that was trying to sleep.
He allegedly shot each of the five victims in the head. Some of the victims’ bodies shielded young children who survived and were transported to hospitals.
Officials named the victims as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8.
Capers said initially that officials believed that they had trapped Francisco Oropeza in a wooded area about a mile away from the crime scene but later discovered that he was not there. Capers said that law enforcement recovered Oropeza’s cell phone, which they were likely using to try to track him.
Capers said that the search area for the suspect was up to 20 miles and that he “could be anywhere now.” Local FBI officials said that Oropeza should be considered “armed and dangerous” and that he is a “threat to the community.”