Man Kills 8-Year-Old and Four Others After Neighbors Ask Him to Stop Firing Rounds in His Yard, Authorities Say

An appalling incident took place near Houston, where a man shot his neighbors, killing an 8-year-old and four others in their house after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard, authorities confirmed on Saturday. The accused, Francisco Oropeza, who is still at large, reportedly used an AR-style rifle in the attack. Sheriff Greg Capers informed that Oropeza’s shots were all from the neck up, meaning that they were aimed at the victims’ heads. “All of his rounds were from the neck up, so basically in the head,” Capers said.

The authorities are using scent-tracking dogs and an overhead drone to track down Oropeza, who they believe was drunk at the time of the incident and has fled toward a heavily wooded forest a few miles from the scene. Ten people were present inside the house at the time of the attack, some of whom had recently moved there, but no one else was hurt, except for the five victims. The victims, believed to be from Honduras, were found in different parts of the house. The Honduran ladies that were laying over these children were doing it in such an effort as to protect the child, Capers said.

The confrontation took place after family members went up to the fence and requested the suspect to stop firing rounds. The suspect responded by saying it was his property, and one person in the house captured a video of the accused walking up to the front door with the rifle. The victims’ names were not disclosed, but Capers stated that the victims were between 8 and about 40 years old. Capers also said that his deputies had been to Oropeza’s home at least once before and spoken with him about “shooting his gun in the yard” but did not know if any action was taken at that time.