At least five people have been killed after being shot by a suspect at a Texas home with an AR-15-style assault rifle, authorities said.
The incident took place at 11:31 p.m., when officials from the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office received a report about harassment in Cleveland, Texas.
However, when officials arrived at the site they found several victims shot on the property, police said.
The youngest victim of the shooting was 8 years old and two women were found in a bedroom lying on top of two surviving children, officers told ABC News.
The gunman is a Mexican armed with an AR-15-style assault rifle and is intoxicated, officials said.
Authorities are searching for a Hispanic male who stands approximately 5-foot-8 in height and was last seen wearing blue jeans, a black shirt, and work boots. He is described as having short black hair.
“The Mexican male subject is known to have fired his 223 in his front yard, which is evident by casings found in the front yard,” the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said.
About 10 people were in the house when the police arrived and all the victims range in age from eight to 40 years old.
For this reason, residents of the Cleveland, Texas area have been ordered to “Stay Inside [y] away” from the crime scene until the investigations are complete.
So far, law enforcement officials have not released the identity, ages, or possible relationship to the shooter, however, they did confirm that all shots took place in the home, that the victims are originally from Honduras, and that four of those shot fatally they were pronounced dead at the scene and the fifth victim was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Currently, it is a crime scene and active investigation, but the police revealed that although the Hispanic suspect is on the run, they do not believe he is still in the area.
For his part, Sheriff Greg Capers, of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office, said all the victims were shot from the neck up “execution style.”
“Everyone who was shot from the neck up, almost execution style, basically in the head,” he said.
The sheriff said they have identified the shooter and believe he is about 10 to 12 miles from the scene, but have not yet been able to locate him.
“We are getting closer to him every minute of every hour, but we know who he is,” Capers said. “He is from Mexico. The victims themselves were from Honduras.”
The shooter reportedly went to the house where the crime occurred after neighbors told him to be quiet because a baby was trying to sleep, Capers said.
“I understand that the victims came up to the fence and said, ‘Hey, could you [no hacer tu] shooting in the yard? We have a little baby that’s trying to fall asleep,’ and he’d been drinking and he’s like, ‘I’ll do whatever I want in my front yard,’” the sheriff said.
The Hispanic was understood to have fired his AR-15 in his front yard, Capers said. Authorities found two other weapons in the home in a search after the shooting. The sheriff further confirmed that they are questioning the suspect’s wife.
The sheriff described how some of the victims seemed protective of their children. In the residence’s bedroom, officers found two bodies on top of uninjured victims that were covered in blood.
“In my opinion, they were really trying to take care of the babies and keep them alive,” Capers said.
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