Texas shooting leaves 5 dead, including 8-year-old; manhunt underway

Five people were shot to death early Saturday morning in southeast Texas, police said.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call for “harassment” around midnight and discovered five people had been shot at a property at the 100 block of Walters Road in the Trails End area of Cleveland, about 50 miles north of Houston. 

A SWAT unit from neighboring Montgomery County arrived to assist and cleared several properties near to the crime scene. The shooter was determined to have fled the county. 

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene and one victim was airlifted in critical condition to a local trauma center. The victim died at the hospital. 

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Three other victims were taken to the hospital “covered in blood,” according to the sheriff’s office. It was not clear if they were injured or if the blood belonged to the other victims. 

A shooting near Cleveland, Texas, left five people dead and at least three injured Friday, April 28, 2023. (KTRK)

Sheriff Greg Capers told Bluebonnet News that the victims were from Honduras. He said a total of 10 people were living in the house. Of those killed, four were adults, one male and three females, while the youngest was just eight years old. The three other victims who were taken to the hospital were children. 

Two other people inside the residence were evaluated at the scene and released, police said. 

“When we got here, the two females in the bedroom were actually laying over the top of the younger children, two of the three younger children” that survived, Capers said. 

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The sheriff’s office is withholding the identities of the victims pending notification of next of kin. 

Police have identified a suspect in the shooting and are actively looking for him. 

The suspected shooter is a “Mexican male from Mexico.” The sheriff’s office has a copy of his consular identification card. 

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Capers said the suspect has been known to shoot a .223 rifle in the front yard of the residence. Police found shell casings there. 

The suspect is on the run and not believed to be in the area. A judge issued a warrant for his arrest and assigned a $5 million bond. 

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Texas Rangers are assisting with the ongoing investigation. Police are asking the public to avoid the area, as there is still a heavy police presence. 

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.