When a baby was trying to fall asleep next door, neighbors came to a Texas man’s fence and asked him to stop firing his gun in his yard.
According to investigators, the man then allegedly went next door while intoxicated and used an AR-15-style gun to kill five individuals, according to ABC News. He’s still on the loose.
This shooting is the most recent in a series that has involved seemingly routine and even unremarkable contacts.
Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot in the head in Kansas City after he unintentionally picked up his younger brothers at the wrong address. A 20-year-old woman was fatally shot in New York after she and her companions accidentally parked their car in the wrong driveway.
According to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect, 39-year-old Francisco Oropeza, was intoxicated when he opened fire from his front porch in Cleveland, Texas, according to KTRK-TV, a local affiliate of ABC News in Houston. Friday night at about 11:30 p.m., neighbors stepped in.
The tweet below confirms the news:
Gunman on the loose after killing 5 people at neighbor’s home, Texas authorities say, as police ID victims and bring in the FBI https://t.co/fJkf2sIw4K
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 29, 2023
Texas Man Kills Five After Dispute Over Gunshots Disturbing Neighbor’s Baby Sleep
“My understanding is that the victims, they came over to the fence and said ‘Hey could [you not do your] shooting out in the yard? We have a young baby that’s trying to go to sleep,'” Sheriff Greg Capers told KTRK. “And he had been drinking, and he says ‘I’ll do what I want to in my front yard.'”
The enraged man then retaliated, according to police.
At least 10 people were inside the house when police arrived, and several of them had been shot “from the neck up almost execution style.” According to KRTK, there have been five fatalities, including an 8-year-old child. KHOU-11, another local TV station, claimed that three additional people were hurt, although it is unknown how they are doing.
Two of the three younger (surviving) youngsters were lying on top of the two females in the bedroom when we arrived, Capers informed KTRK. The victims were “trying to take care of the babies and keep them babies alive,” he continued, according to ABC News.
Due to the numerous shell casings scattered throughout his front yard, the sheriff claimed that the suspect had a history of shooting from his property.
Cleveland residents were instructed to “stay inside” and “stay clear” of the crime scene while police searched for the perpetrator.
According to KTRK, a judge in the case has issued an arrest order and a $5 million bond.
