On Wednesday, WASHINGTON- Texas, authorities reported several arrests concerning the weekend shooting in Cleveland, including identifying the man’s romantic partner suspected of killing five Honduran citizens.
The arrests were in addition to Mexican national Francisco Oropesa, the suspected shooter, who was arrested Tuesday after a days-long manhunt.
Tim Kean of the sheriff’s office in San Jacinto County told reporters today that “several arrests” had been made in capturing Oropesa and that “others are pending depending on the ongoing investigation.”
Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, Oropesa’s partner, was arrested Tuesday on charges of hindering the apprehension of a felon and was assigned $250,000 bail, according to court documents cited today by ABC13.
San Jacinto County District Attorney Todd Dillon told a news conference Wednesday that she was at the scene of Oropesa’s arrest.
Oropesa, 38, is suspected in the deaths of Daniel Enrique Lazo, 9; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21; Obdulia Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Caceres, 18.
The Mexican national was discovered hiding in a closet in the Texas town of Cut and Shoot, a few kilometers from the massacre site, and faces five counts of murder.
Further recommended reading:
- Horrific rampage in San Jacinto County: 200 officers hunt for Francisco Oropesa in brutal Cleveland, Texas mass shooting
- FBI offers $80,000 reward for Texas massacre suspect Francisco Oropeza [new images]
- Ana Fernanda Basaldua Ruiz, a 21-year-old Mexican-born soldier, was found dead at Fort Hood, Texas
Border agents apprehended the suspect without incident, said Troy Miller, acting director of Customs and Border Protection (CBP), last night.
San Jacinto County (Texas) Sheriff Greg Capers confirmed that the person who provided the FBI with the information that led to the apprehension would receive an $80,000 reward.
On Friday night, Oropesa was shooting with his semi-automatic rifle in the backyard of his Cleveland home when one of his neighbors approached him and asked him to stop making noise because it was very late and the family, including some children, could not get to sleep.
The man responded by bursting into his neighbors’ home to shoot them in the neck and head, as if it were an “execution,” according to the police report.
One of the victims, Diana Velasquez, was a permanent resident of the U.S., while the rest were in the country illegally.
According to US authorities, Oropesa had been deported to Mexico at least four times since 2009.