Man Suspected of Killing 5 Texas Neighbors Had Been Deported 4 Times

Francisco Oropesa still has not been found
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 2, 2023 1:00 AM CDT
Man Suspected of Killing 5 Texas Neighbors Had Been Deported 4 Times
This undated photo released by the FBI (Houston) shows Francisco Oropesa.   (FBI via AP)

Francisco Oropesa, who is accused of fatally shooting five of his neighbors in a rural Texas neighborhood Friday night and then fleeing, is a Mexican national who has been deported four times, immigration officials said Monday. Authorities are still searching for Oropesa, 38, who police say was shooting in his Cleveland, Texas, yard when Wilson Garcia asked if he could go farther away since his baby was trying to sleep. Oropesa then allegedly killed Garcia's wife, 9-year-old son, and three other people, two of whom were women who died while shielding Garcia's other children, a 6-week-old boy and a 3-year-old girl. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott initially said the victims were "five illegal immigrants" but on Monday a spokesperson corrected that, saying "at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally." The victims were from Honduras.

As for Oropesa, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says a judge ordered ICE to deport him to Mexico in March 2009; it's not clear why, the New York Times reports. He then, ICE says, illegally returned to the US, was caught, and was deported again in September 2009, again in January 2012, and again in July 2016. In the 2012 incident, he was convicted of driving while intoxicated and sentenced to jail. It's not clear when he returned to the US after the 2016 deportation, CNN reports. It's also not known where he got the AR-15 with which he allegedly carried out the murders, and authorities are warning that while he had discarded that weapon, he could have another with him on the run. A reward of $80,000 is being offered for information leading to his capture. Garcia says he moved to the neighborhood three years ago and "never had a problem" with Oropesa until Friday, ABC News reports. (More Texas stories.)

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