The Sleep of Reason by David James Smith

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities had widened the search area beyond the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect’s neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard late at night because a baby was trying to sleep.Īt a Sunday vigil in Cleveland, Wilson Garcia, the father of the 1-month-old, described the terrifying efforts inside his home by friends and family that night to escape, hide and shield themselves and children after Oropeza walked up to the home and began firing, killing his wife first at the front door. Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday night, likely on foot. The FBI in Houston said in a tweet on Sunday that it was referring to the suspect as Oropesa, not Oropeza, to “better reflect his identity in law enforcement systems.” His family lists their name as Oropeza on a sign outside their yard, as well as in public records.

“I can tell you right now, we have zero leads,” James Smith, the FBI special agent in charge, said Sunday. But that search, too, turned up nothing.īoth were among the first times since the shooting that authorities had announced a possible sighting. On Monday, a heavy presence of police converged in Montgomery County after a possible sighting, but the sheriff’s office later said none of the persons were found to be Oropeza.Ī few hours later, the department reported another possible sighting, tweeting that several schools had “secured their campuses” and again asked residents to avoid the area.

Marshals, are now part of a growing search that has come up empty despite additional manpower, scent-tracking dogs, drones and a total of $80,000 in reward money on the table. More than 250 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, including the U.S.

Her statement did not address why Abbott mentioned their status and she did not immediately respond to questions about the criticism. “We regret if the information was incorrect and detracted from the important goal of finding and arresting the criminal.”Įze said information provided by federal officials after the shooting had indicated that the suspect and victims were in the country illegally.

“We’ve since learned that at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally,” Abbott spokesperson Renae Eze said in a statement. Critics accused Abbott, who has made hard-line immigration measures a signature issue in Texas, of putting politics into the shooting. Twice on Monday, a sheriff’s office in a neighboring county alerted the public about possible sightings, but neither turned up Oropeza.Ībbott offered a $50,000 reward over the weekend for any tips that might lead to the gunman, and while doing so, the three-term governor described all the victims as “illegal immigrants” - a potentially false statement that his office walked back and apologized for Monday.

The Sleep of Reason by David James Smith