'Monster': Mass murder suspect still on the loose illegally entered US 'multiple times'



The man accused of killing five people in an "execution-style" shooting Friday night is in the country illegally and remains at large, Fox News Digital reported.

"I have no words to describe what happened," Wilson Garcia said in Spanish at a vigil Sunday for his wife, son, and others who died in the shooting, the New York Times reported.

"We are alive but there is no life. ... I was able to escape by a miracle."

The gunman who allegedly took the life of Garcia's wife and son shot and killed five people in a Cleveland, Texas, home. Francisco Oropesa remains on the loose, and authorities say they have "zero leads."

The people killed in the shooting include 25-year-old Sonia Guzman, 21-year-old Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 31-year-old Juliza Molina Rivera, 18-year-old Jose Jonathan Casarez, and 8-year-old Daniel Enrique Laso, the New York Times reported.

"He could be anywhere now," San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters Saturday. Authorities having found his cell phone and clothing and believe the Oropesa slipped past their established search area, according to NBC News.

Oropesa is in the United States illegally, Fox News Digital reported. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials reportedly told the outlet the man has been deported previously and re-entered the county illegally "multiple times." His most recent encounter with ICE was in 2016.

The FBI's Houston-area office released multiple photos of the suspect Saturday, along with a correction to the spelling of his last name. The set of photos includes a close-up of a distinctive tattoo on his left forearm. The tattoo depicts a woman with shoulder-length hair wearing a headdress.

The FBI also noted that it mistakenly disseminated a photo of Oropesa with a blue backdrop that has since been removed from the agency's social media accounts. The agency requested that photo not be used.

A total of $80,000 is offered for the suspect's capture, CBS News reported. Texas Governor Greg Abbot (R) offered $50,000, and some counties added $5,000 on top of that. The FBI is offering $25,000.

"We're asking everyone for your help so we can bring this suspect — or this monster, I will call him — to justice," James Smith, special agent in charge of the FBI's Houston-area office, said in a press conference.

"He is out there, and he's a threat to the community," Smith also said, adding that the suspect is considered armed and dangerous.

As the multi-agency search for Francisco Oropesa continues, the FBI warns people against approaching him. People with tips about his whereabouts should call the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office at 936-653-4367.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

4 Americans fired upon, kidnapped near Mexico border; FBI offers $50,000 reward for their return, assailants' arrest



Four United States citizens were violently kidnapped at gunpoint in Matamoros, Mexico, Friday, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ken Salazar said in a statement Monday.

"We have no greater priority than the safety of our citizens – this is the US government’s most fundamental role," Salarzar's statement said in part.

"US law enforcement officials from numerous agencies are working with Mexican authorities at all levels of government to secure the safe return of our compatriots," the statement also said.

The Americans crossed into Matamoros in a white minivan with North Carolina license plates, according to a statement issued by the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Mexico.

Matamoros is about 2.7 miles from Brownsville, Texas, just across the border into Mexico.

Shortly after crossing into Mexico, an unidentified gunman fired upon the passengers in the van. All four Americans were placed in a vehicle and taken from the scene by armed men, the statement also said.

The FBI is offering a $50,000 reward for the return of the victims and the arrest of those involved. The FBI seeks the public's assistance in identifying the persons responsible for the assault and kidnapping. The agency encourages people with information regarding the investigation to call the FBI's San Antonio Division at 210-225-6741. Tips, which can be made anonymously, can be submitted online at https://tips.fbi.gov.

The assault and kidnapping may have resulted from a case of mistaken identity, CNN reported Monday, citing an unnamed U.S. official with knowledge of the investigation.

CNN's source says the Americans were "targeted by mistake and were not the intended victims." The same official said the group traveled to the border city for medical procedures, which the official apparently determined by receipts found in the vehicle.

Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the victims crossed the border to buy medicine and "ended up caught in the crossfire between two armed groups," according to CBS.

The U.S. Consulate in the cartel-plagued city issued a warning Friday instructing U.S. government employees to stay away from a specific area in Matamoros after reports indicated one individual had been killed.

The advisory also reminded U.S. citizens that Tamaulipas, the state in which Matamoros is situated, is classified as "Level 4: Do Not Travel" in the State Department's travel advisory for the country. The "Do Not Travel" advisory for Tamaulipas state is due to crime and kidnapping.

CBS shared a video on Twitter that appears to show a portion of the disturbing event. In the video, one woman is forcefully walked toward and then shoved into the bed of a white pickup truck. Later in the video, armed men are shown dragging and throwing another person next to the woman in the bed of the pickup.

TheBlaze cautions viewers that the below video, believed to show the moment assailants captured the victims, is quite graphic.

\u201cJust the usual dragging of bodies after a cartel shootout in broad daylight, today in Matamoros.\n\n#Mexico #Narcostate #FailedState\u201d
— David Wolf (@David Wolf) 1677889402

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

N-word, threat found in porta-potty at Facebook construction site; all 1,300 workers sent home; $50,000 reward offered to find culprit



After the N-word and a threat were found scrawled in a porta-potty at a Facebook data center construction site in Utah, all 1,300 workers were sent home and a $50,000 reward was offered to identify the guilty party, KUTV-TV reported.

Image source: KATU-TV video screenshot

What are the details?

The message on the door facing the inside of the porta-potty in Eagle Mountain reads, "Kill a ****** day 11/29," the station said.

Image source: KATU-TV video screenshot

Upon discovery of the slur and threat, Mortenson Construction told its 1,300 construction workers about the graffiti and elected to send them home last Monday as a precautionary measure, authorities told KUTV.

What did Facebook have to say?

"Meta, formerly Facebook, has zero tolerance for any racist acts," a Facebook spokesperson said in regard to the graffiti, according to the station. "While this is a challenge facing the entire industry, we're working with our general contractors to implement measures that will help prevent them at any of our construction sites."

The Eagle Mountain Data Center is one of 17 such Facebook facilities worldwide, KSTU-TV reported.

The threat wasn't directed at a specific person, and there is no credible evidence the threat will be acted upon, KUTV said, citing authorities. In addition, since the construction site is a secure area, authorities told the station the vandalism may be an inside job.

Mortenson Construction released the following statement regarding the incident, KUTV said:

"Mortenson's priority is the safety and welfare of our team members and all people on our projects. We are investigating bias-motivated graffiti found today on the Eagle Mountain project site. We strongly condemn any form of racism or bigotry, and we have a clear, zero-tolerance anti-harassment, anti-discrimination policy. Mortenson takes this matter very seriously and we reported it to local authorities.

"We stopped work today to immediately and directly address this situation with team members and project partners, underscore our team's anti-harassment policy, and restate our expectations for conduct on site. There is a $50,000 reward for information leading to the identification of the individual(s) responsible.

"Mortenson and Meta, formerly Facebook, are committed to creating a culture of inclusion, fostering a diverse workforce, and to maintaining an environment where dignity and respect for everyone on our project is paramount."

Anything else?

After Sgt. Spencer Cannon — public information officer with the Utah County Sheriff's Office — tweeted about the incident, one commenter replied "white lives matter."

Image source: KATU-TV video screenshot

With that, Cannon answered back, "But we must recognize the fact that people aren't generally writing bathroom wall graffiti that says 'Kill a cracker day 11/29.' So in that light your statement is insensitive at the very least and should be kept to yourself."

Here's the KATU report: