Texas shooting - latest: Francisco Oropesa and partner ‘plotted escape to Mexico’ after Cleveland massacre

Five people died last Friday during a shooting in Cleveland Texas.

Daniel Enrique Laso-Guzman, 9, attended Northside Elementary in Cleveland where students assembled memorial offerings that included flowers, stuffed animals and a soccer ball.

Daniel loved soccer, and his third-grade classmates all signed the ball. The school’s principal said Daniel had a contagious smile.

Sonia Argentina Guzmán, 25, was the mother of Daniel Guzman and the first to die during the shooting.

Wilson Garcia said he urged his wife to retreat after suspected shooter Francisco Oroepsa approached the home armed with a gun. But Ms Guzman told Mr Garcia, “told me to go inside because ‘He won’t fire at me. I’m a woman.’”

Ms Guzman was from Honrudas. Her brother, German Guzman, said his sister moved to the United States looking for work.

Diana Velásquez Alvarado, 21, was the mother to two children.

Ms Alvarado left Honduras when she was a teenager, seeking opportunity. According to the Associated Press, Ms Alvarado received residency status in the United States recently.

Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, was also the mother to two children.

Ms Rivera shielded a baby and a two-year-old girl from gunfire during the attack, saving the children’s lives.

José Jonathan Casarez, 18, was also from Hondruas. There is little information about him as of now.

Investigators said that Domingo Castilla, a friend of suspected shooter Franciso Oropesa, was arrested and booked in the San Jacinto County Jail according to the Associated Press.

On Wednesday, authorities revealed that “several” other people were arrested in addition to Mr Oropesa who is accused of killing five people last Friday.

That includes Mr Castilla who was charged with marijuana possession, though authorities are expected to charge him with obstructing Mr Oropesa’s apprehension, San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon said during a news conference.

Multiple people have been arrested in connection to a mass shooting that left five people dead in Cleveland, Texas, including the partner of the suspected gunman Francisco Oropesa.

The Independent reports:

FBI Houston tweeted on Wednesday that the investigation into the Cleveland shooting would be led by the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and prosecuted by the San Jacinto County District Attorney’s Office.

During the tragic shooting in Cleveland, Texas that took place last Friday, two adult females died while trying to protect two children from the shooting.

Andrea Blanco reports:

FBI Assistant Special Agent Jimmy Paul thanked members of law enforcement and the person who submitted an anonymous tip that led to the arrest of suspected gunman Francisco Oropesa.

“Thank you to all of the FBI personnel and partner law enforcement agencies who’ve worked non-stop to arrest this individual to try to bring some justice to the 5 victims and return a sense of security back to the San Jacinto County community,” Mr Paul said in a statement posted to the FBI Houston’s Twitter page.

He added, “Thank you to the person who had the courage to call in this tip. We always said it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ he would be captured, and we’re glad this evening was that ‘when’ we’ve all been waiting for.”

“To the victims and the families, you are at the forefront of our minds. We are delighted that he’s finally in custody.”

The massacre unfolded last Friday night (28 April) in Cleveland, Texas, when the family allegedly asked their neighbour, Francisco Oropesa, to stop shooting rounds in his yard because they had children trying to sleep.

What followed was a tragic shooting that took the lives of five people, including a nine-year-old child, a four-day-long manhunt and arrests.

The Independent reports:

A neighbour has described the moment police swooped on suspected shooter Francisco Oropesa.

Angel Lozano told The Associated Press that he was unloading tools from his truck on Tuesday night at his home in Cut and Shoot close to the city of Conroe.

All of a sudden he said he saw a stream of unmarked police cars pouring into the neighbourhood.

“A bunch of people got out with guns and they went straight to the house and surrounded the area,” he said.

“It was a really fast job they did. They got him without people getting hurt or another shooting.”