A Texas inmate suspected of killing five people after escaping from a prison bus was killed by authorities Thursday, officials said.
There was a massive manhunt for Gonzalo Lopez, 46, when an adult and four children were found dead Thursday evening inside a residence in Leon County, East Texas, near where the inmate had fled three weeks earlier. According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Lopez is believed to have broken into the home and committed the murders.
Authorities then said Lopez may have stolen clothing, firearms and a 1999 white Chevrolet Silverado from the residence.
The home was believed to be a weekend home for the victims, whose main residence was in Houston. Authorities said the family had been seen Thursday morning and was found murdered around 6 p.m., local time, after a person contacted law enforcement because they had not heard. of an elderly relative inside the house and they were worried. Authorities had initially said two adults and three children were found dead.
“We will not rest until Gonzalo Lopez is arrested,” Jason Clark, chief of staff to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, told a news conference Thursday night.
This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows inmate Gonzalo Lopez. Lopez, a 46-year-old convicted murderer, was shot dead in a police shooting in Jourdanton, Texas on June 2, 2022, after escaping from a prison bus near Centerville, Texas on May 12. of 2022. He allegedly killed five people while fleeing, authorities said.
Texas Department of Criminal Justice through AP
Later that night, officers from the Atascosa County Sheriff’s Office saw the stolen truck that Lopez was believed to be driving and followed it. They placed spikes that flattened the four tires of the vehicle on a street in Jourdanton, south of San Antonio and about 250 miles southwest of Leon County. The suspect then fired a rifle through the window and fired several shots at officers, who returned fire, according to authorities.
The suspect was killed in the shooting and was confirmed to be Lopez, who authorities said was armed with an AR-15 and a handgun.
“We received additional information from the U.S. Marshals Service that could be in the San Antonio area. We then raised our alert and indeed detected it,” said Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward. at a press conference Thursday night. “This dangerous individual is out of the street and no officer has been injured.”
Lopez, who was serving a life sentence for a capital murder in Hidalgo County and an attempted capital murder in Webb County, managed to break free from his shackles, dominate a bus driver and escape custody near Centerville on May 12, while being transported from Gatesville to Huntsville for a medical appointment. He was added to the list of the 10 most wanted fugitives in Texas and was given a $ 50,000 reward for his capture.
Authorities had said Lopez was allegedly affiliated with the Mexican mafia.
Meredith Deliso, Marilyn Heck, Emily Shapiro, Flor Tolentino and Jennifer Watts of ABC News contributed to this story.