Karen wrote yesterday about a mass shooting that took place in a rural part of eastern Texas. The incident happened Friday after one family asked their neighbor, Francisco Oropesa Perez-Torres, to stop shooting his rifle in the yard because their baby was asleep. He refused and the family placed five different calls to 911 as the situation escalated. Finally Perez-Torres came to the house and executed five members of the family including an 8-year-old boy who died in the hospital. Two younger children survived because the women in the house hid them under piles of clothing which they covered with their own bodies. After the shooting, Perez-Torres went on the run and still has not been captured.

Today we learned that the suspect was here illegally and had been deported four separate times.

The suspect, identified by ICE as Francisco Oropesa Perez-Torres, was first removed by an immigration judge in March 2009, the ICE source told CNN on Monday.

“At an unknown time and location, Perez-Torres unlawfully reentered the United States, and was apprehended and removed several more times by ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in September 2009, January 2012, and July 2016,” the source said.

Oropesa’s current immigration status is unclear, and it is not known how long he had been in the US since he was last deported.

In addition to the deportations, he had also been convicted of misdemeanor drunken driving back in 2009. I’m not sure how someone who was deported four separate times (Fox News is reporting five times) could be here legally but on Meet the Press Sunday, Sec. Mayorkas refused to answer questions about his status at the time of the shooting.

DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told Chuck Todd on “Meet the Press” on Sunday that he wouldn’t “comment” on Oropesa’s immigration status after Todd said there was a question about him having a “consulate card, meaning he was here legally, but perhaps he had overstayed?”

Mayorkas replied, “I won’t comment on it because it is an active case. The tragedy that occurred is … just absolutely horrific.”

The FBI released several photos of the suspect.

Here are the newest images of Francisco Oropesa and a prominent tattoo on his left forearm.

Going forward, the subject's last name will be spelled "Oropesa" to better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems. This remains a fluid investigation. #ClevelandTXShooting pic.twitter.com/ZWUu0FqoMF

— FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) April 30, 2023

As of today a massive manhunt is still ongoing and authorities say they have no leads.

On Sunday, law enforcement officials conceded that they did not know the suspect’s whereabouts, adding that they considered him to be a threat.

“We do not know where he is,” James Smith, the special agent in charge of the F.B.I. in the Houston area, told reporters at a news conference. “We do not have any tips right now as to where he may be. Right now, we have zero leads.”

The authorities said that more than 200 officers, including state troopers, were looking for Mr. Oropesa. They have offered an $80,000 reward for information leading to his capture.

All of the victims in this case were also here illegally from Honduras.

The victims were all from Honduras, officials said. Gov. Greg Abbott’s office said that Mr. Oropesa and Mr. Garcia and his family were all in the United States illegally.

“My heart is with this 8-year-old little boy,” Sheriff Capers said on Sunday. “I don’t care if he was here legally. I don’t care if he was here illegally. He was in my county.”

Police have the shooter’s AR-15 but they don’t know for sure if he has another weapon with him. He clearly wanted to be in the US despite his deportations. Now, assuming he’s captured alive, he’ll spend the rest of his life in a US prison.

Update: Just saw this but there was a potential lead today.

state, and federal agencies are assisting in the search. Caney Creek HS, Moorhead JH, Grangerland Int., Milam Elementary, Hope Elementary, and Creighton Elementary have secured their campuses and brought everyone indoors. All students and staff are safe. Please avoid the area https://t.co/oZquNQcg3y

— MCTXSheriff (@MCTXSheriff) May 1, 2023

This is located just a few miles west of Cleveland, Texas where the shooting took place Friday. After searching the area, the shooter was not found.

***Update 4:35 pm***A tip was received that a Hispanic male was seen walking near Caney Creek at Crockett Martin and FM 2090 who resembled Oropesa. The wood line &surrounding areas were searched, all persons in the area were investigated, and none were found to be Oropesa.. https://t.co/NRyeZcSXTn

— MCTXSheriff (@MCTXSheriff) May 1, 2023