Texas shooting suspect: Wife among those taken into custody during arrest of suspected gunman

KHOU 11
Author: Jaime E. Galvan, Michelle Choi, Ugochi Iloka, Cory McCord (KHOU), Associated Press
Published: 5:55 AM CDT May 3, 2023
Updated: 10:07 AM CDT May 3, 2023

COLDSPRING, Texas — The wife of Francisco Oropeza was among several people taken into custody in connection with his arrest Tuesday night near Cut and Shoot, Texas, according to the San Jacinto County District Attorney's Office.

Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, wife of Oropeza, was in custody in connection with the Friday night shooting, Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson told the AP. The San District Attorney's Office later confirmed the arrest and her identity.

Nava had previously denied knowledge of Oropeza’s whereabouts, Henderson said, but authorities believe she hid him in the home where he was arrested Tuesday night.

Lamar Nava was arrested early Wednesday and was being held in the Montgomery County jail on a felony charge of hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon, according to online jail records. The records do not list a bond for her and indicate she was arrested by state police at a home in Conroe.

Oropeza, 38, will face a judge Wednesday morning, according to the San Jacinto County Sheriff's Office.

The assistant San Jacinto Assistant District Attorney laid out what is next for Oropeza, who is accused of going on the deadly shooting rampage late Friday night after his neighbors asked him to stop shooting his gun on his property so a child could sleep.

What is next for Francisco Oropeza

• Oropeza was transferred to the San Jacinto County Jail in Coldspring, Texas overnight.
• Oropeza is being questioned and held on a $5 million bond. He should face a judge sometime this morning for a bond hearing.
• Several people were taken into custody when Oropeza was arrested Tuesday evening. The sheriff's office would not confirm how many people are in custody, but only that they are being booked.
• Oropeza could face additional charges.

Families in the area tell KHOU 11 News that they are relieved that Oropeza is in custody. Tensions had been running high in San Jacinto County as families were scared he could have come back and hurt more people.

One neighbor even said she had been carrying a gun just in case.

Authorities said the home where Oropeza had been hiding out is just 20 minutes away from the shooting scene.

"I mean, this is crazy. How he was like so close to me and I had no idea he was a really dangerous guy so it's kind of scary when I found out," Evelyn Echeverria, a neighbor, said.

The arrest is such relief for this community. Meanwhile, the families of the five victims are now in the process of making funeral arrangements for their loved ones.

The community rallying behind them. KHOU 11 News has learned that there will be a vigil held in the neighborhood on Wednesday.

Chief Deputy Tim Kean gave an update Wednesday morning outside of the San Jacinto County Jail.

What we know about the arrest of Francisco Oropeza

Authorities said the FBI got a tip about Oropeza's location around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday. They said he was arrested around 6:30 p.m. Officials said he was taken to the Montgomery County Jail. From there, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza would be moved to the San Jacinto Jail in Coldspring.

Here's video of the arrest:

"Everybody played a very intricate part in the arrest of this coward," Capers said.

According to Capers, tips came in from across the country during the search for Oropeza. Capers said the person who reported Oropeza's whereabouts would receive the tip money, which had ballooned to $100,000 earlier in the day.

Officials said Oropeza was arrested without incident at a home on Summer Hollow Drive, which appears to be in a neighborhood just north of SH 105 and east of Cut and Shoot, Texas.

"He was caught hiding in a closet underneath some laundry. They effectively made the arrest. He is uninjured," Capers said.

Authorities said they had previously searched at the location. They said they're not sure how Oropeza got there.

Capers also had a message for the survivors and families of the victims.

"They can rest easy now, and he will live out his life behind bars," Capers said.

You can watch the full news conference below.

Oropeza had been on the run since the shooting and state and federal law enforcement officials assisted in the search and capture.

According to authorities, they're exploring charges for those who helped Oropeza hide. It's unclear how many people actually helped him but officials said several people were being questioned. According to a law enforcement source, the house on Summer Hollow belongs to Oropeza's aunt.

What we know about the victims

Officials identified the victims as the following:

• Daniel Enrique Lazo, 9
• Jonathan Cáceres, 18
• Diana Velásquez, 21
• Sonia Guzmán, 28
• Obdulia Molina, 31

Editor's note: There have been discrepancies in the spelling of the names and the ages of the victims. We are using names and ages supplied by the Honduran government on May 1. Previous reporting used spelling and ages supplied earlier in the investigation by the Houston office of the FBI.

According to investigators, four of the victims were pronounced dead at the scene and 9-year-old Daniel died at an area hospital. Others were found covered in blood inside the home, but none of them were injured, according to authorities.

Oropeza is also accused of killing Cáceres and his girlfriend, Molina. Molina leaves behind two children in the U.S. and two others in Honduras, according to sources. Her family in Honduras said she was a fighter -- a woman with goals.

Oropeza also shot and killed 21-year-old Diana Velásquez, according to officials. She leaves behind her partner and their two kids.

The bodies of the victims will be flown back to Honduras to be buried.