Texas mass shooting suspect at large for 3rd day; was deported 4 times – National & International News – MON 1May2023

Texas mass shooting suspect at large for 3rd day; was deported 4 times.

Third major bank fails in 2 months.

Sudan: US begins mass evacuations; UN touts talks.

NATIONAL NEWS

Texas mass shooting suspect at large for 3rd day; was deported 4 times

Francisco Oropesa, 38, remains on the run 3 days after police say he shot and killed five people in a neighboring house, including a 9-year-old boy. The shooting took place Friday evening in Cleveland, TX, about 50 miles north of Houston. Local, state and federal law enforcement are conducting a massive manhunt. Initially the search centered on a vast wooded area near the home, but he’s now believed to have left the woods. Law enforcement say Oropesa “could be anywhere” and that they have “no leads” as to his whereabouts. There’s an $80,000 reward for information leading to Oropesa’s capture.

The shooting followed a verbal altercation. Oropesa was shooting guns on his front yard and when the occupants of the neighboring house asked him to shoot further away from their home so they could get a baby to sleep. Oropesa, apparently drunk, responded, “I’ll do what I want to in my front yard”.

Minutes later, Oropesa then entered his neighbor’s home with an AR-style rifle and fatally shot Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; and Daniel Enrique Laso Guzman, 9. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said all the shots from the neck up, “almost execution-style”.

There were 10 people total in the house, all from Honduras. Two of the women died protecting two small children, who survived unharmed. Wilson Garcia, the owner of the house, said the two children, a two-year-old girl and a one-month-old boy were his. The women shielded the babies after their mother (Sonia Argentina Guzman) and older brother (Daniel Guzman) were killed. 

Previous deportee

Police are hunting for Francisco Oropesa, 38, after they say he gunned down 5 people on Friday.

Reports indicate that Oropesa, a Mexican national, had previously been deported from the US on four occasions, twice in 2009 and then again in 2012 and 2016. He had a 2012 arrest for drunk driving. 

Neighbors say Oropesa had lived at the property for about 5 years with his wife and son. The family also had several horses.  Police had answered complaints about gunfire at the address several times over the years.  No arrests apparently resulted from any of these interactions.

Oropesa is described as 5’8″ tall Hispanic male with a goatee and short black hair. He was last seen wearing jeans, a black shirt and work boots. Law enforcement say he has been in contact with friends since the shooting, as well as his wife. Oropesa knows the area well, having lived nearby for 10 years on and off. Police say he is armed and dangerous and remains “a threat to the community”. They believe he may have left the county.

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Third major bank fails in 2 months

California-based First Republic Bank is now the third mid-sized bank to go under since March, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank. Catering to wealthier clients, the bank once operated over 90 branches in 11 states, including New York, California, Massachusetts, and Florida.

Shortly after the collapse of the first two banks, there were concerns about First Republic’s assets. This prompted a coalition of a dozen banks to put together a $30 billion funding package to shore up First Republic. This worked for a while, but last Monday, First Republic reported in its quarterly earnings call that wealthy depositors had withdrawn over $100 billion.

The bank’s stock price plunged by half the very next day, and it became clear First Republic would soon meet the fate of Silicon Valley and Signature Banks. The FDIC put out calls for buyers to take over the bank’s assets. This weekend, JPMorgan Chase agreed to purchase the bank. First Republic’s remaining branches opened today as JPMorgan branches.

First Republic’s portfolio of high-net-worth clientele seems to have contributed to its downfall as the vast majority of its deposits were over the $250,000 limit for FDIC insurance. The wealthy clients bailed quickly. Under this deal, none of the remaining depositors will lose money, However, the shareholders are likely to be wiped out.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Sudan: US begins mass evacuations; UN touts talks

The civil war in Sudan is entering its third week, but for now an uneasy ceasefire is holding. The two rival armies agreed to a three-day truce last week and then agreed to extend it for another three days this weekend. However, the ceasefire is far from complete, with gunfire and airstrikes still occurring in the areas surrounding the capital Khartoum. 

The US and other countries are taking advantaged of the decreased danger to evacuate as many of their citizens as possible. Embassy staff previously estimated there were about 16,000 US citizens in Sudan. Ten days ago, US soldiers led a risky evacuation of about 100 US Embassy personnel from Khartoum. The embassy is now closed. About 1000 Americans are believed to have fled since the violence began. The State Department says that only about 5,000 Americans had reached out for guidance on leaving the country. 

UN envoy Volker Perthes claims that the two sides have agreed to appoint representatives to take part in peace talks, possibly in Saudi Arabia. The bloody war is a power struggle between two generals, Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan of the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo of the paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces. 

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