The Montgomery County Sheriff, Rand Henderson, has reported that following the arrest of the suspect in the Texas shooting that claimed five lives, his longtime partner has also been taken into custody.

Divimara Lamar Nava, aged 53, was taken into custody Wednesday and has been charged with a felony for impeding the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon. Although Nava had earlier denied any knowledge of her partner's location, law enforcement authorities suspect that she had concealed him in their Conroe residence, where he was eventually arrested Tuesday. a CNN report said.

Francisco Oropeza, 38, the alleged shooter, was apprehended without any untoward incident near Conroe, located north of Houston. The FBI had been scouring for him for four days, and with the assistance of more than 250 individuals from various jurisdictions, they were able to apprehend him. The authorities had also offered a reward of $80,000 to help find him. Oropeza will be facing five counts of murder, and his bond has been set at $5 million.

According to police reports, the assault took place when Oropeza's neighbors requested him to vacate their land, citing disturbance caused by his gunfire, which was preventing an infant from sleeping. All the individuals targeted in the attack were Honduran nationals, and their mortal remains will be returned to their country of origin. As per US immigration authorities, Oropeza, a Mexican national, has been expelled from the country on four occasions between 2009 and 2016.

The arrest of Oropeza has brought an end to a widespread manhunt that employed drones and scent-tracking dogs to aid in the search. The Republican Governor, Greg Abbott, had announced a reward of $50,000, and other individuals had pledged an extra $30,000 in reward money, as the search extended into the weekend. The information that led to Oropeza's apprehension was received at 5:15 pm, and he was taken into custody a little over an hour later.

The five individuals killed in the shooting have been identified as 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 31-year-old Julisa Molina Rivera, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez, 25-year-old Sonia Argentina Guzman, and 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso. According to Wilson Garcia, a survivor of the attack, friends and family present in the home attempted to take cover and protect themselves and their children when Oropeza approached the residence and opened fire, starting with his wife at the front entrance.

Meanwhile, Governor Abbott referred to the victims as "illegal immigrants" in a statement that received significant backlash, The Guardian reported. However, his office later retracted the statement and apologized after learning that one of the victims may have been in the country legally.

Francisco Oropesa had eluded authorities after the shooting in the small town of Cleveland in southeastern Texas
AFP
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