'Never thought he would shoot': Cleveland shooting survivor who lost wife and son speaks about tragedy
CLEVELAND, TEXAS: One of the survivors of the Texas shooting, Wilson Garcia, spoke out about the harrowing incident that claimed the lives of his wife and son. On Friday, April 28, Fracisco Oropesa fatally shot five people in an execution-style.
Garcia claimed that Oropesa allegedly had alcohol in his system and discharged his firearm on his front porch. Garcia's one-month-old infant was attempting to sleep inside, so he requested Oropesa to be quiet. At that point, things took a turn for the worse. Oropesa has been accused of breaking into his neighbor's home and shooting several people, including a third-grader, in the 100 block of Walters Road in Cleveland's Trails End neighborhood, just about 45 miles north of Houston, according to ABC13. He is a wanted fugitive, and authorities are using all available means to find him.
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Who is Wilson Garcia?
Garcia is the owner of the property where the shooting took place and a survivor of the shooting spree. There were a total of 15 individuals present in Garcia's home, many of whom were friends who had come along with Garcia's wife on a church retreat. He said the shooter appeared determined to murder everyone.
What did Wilson Garcia say about the incident?
Garcia said, "We had company. We were going to make something to eat, the guy, came out and he was shooting. We asked him to be quiet 'cause my baby was scared," according to ABC13. He claimed that they informed Oropesa that they intended to call the police.
Garcia stated that five calls were made to the police by his family as Oropesa did not stop firing, and each time the dispatcher said help was on the way. Minutes after Garcia had returned from Oropesa's residence, the man began sprinting toward Garcia and reloading.
Garcia said, "I told my wife, 'Get inside. This man has loaded his weapon. My wife told me to go inside because 'he won't fire at me, I'm a woman,'" according to Marca. Garcia's wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, who was standing at the front entrance when the shooter approached the home and started firing, was the first victim.
'He couldn't catch up to me'
Garcia said, "I never thought that he would shoot. Then he went room to room, looking for people." He also said that Oropesa fired several shots at him but missed. "He couldn't catch up to me. The bullets were hitting (everywhere)," Garcia added.
Several people had been shot when authorities arrived at the scene of the shooting around 11.30 pm. Authorities stated that the family named the other victims of the shooting as Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21, Obdulia Molina Rivera, 31, Josue Jonatan Caceres, 18, Alvarado's sister, and eight-year-old Daniel Enrique Lazo Guzman, Garcia's son. On Sunday, April 30, a vigil was held for the boy.
'Feel so much for him and his family'
Many people have reacted to the incident on Twitter with one person writing, "Unfathomable to go through that. Feel so much for him and his family." Another person wrote, "I know there's not enough sympathy could help soothe the lost of his wife, friends & child but sorry for the loss."
A thrid person wrote, "Pls stay strong for them, my friends dad killed himself and now they think that they weren't good enough for him to stay, now they expect everyone to leave... it's sad to see fr." This other person wrote, "The shooter is an illegal who probably has gone back over the border , hopefully the Mexican gov. Will help find him."
Unfathomable to go through that. Feel so much for him and his family.
— wit miller (@witmiller) May 1, 2023
I know there’s not enough sympathy could help soothe the lost of his wife, friends & child but sorry for the loss.
— Stephan S (@susu92649) May 1, 2023
Pls stay strong for them, my friends dad killed himself and now they think that they weren’t good enough for him to stay, now they expect everyone to leave… it’s sad to see fr.
— Beth (@Beth101618) May 1, 2023
The shooter is an illegal who probably has gone back over the border , hopefully the Mexican gov. Will help find him .
— Sid (@Sdhiatt1) May 1, 2023
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