Authorities on Wednesday arrested a woman accused of hiding the man who allegedly fatally shot five people in rural Texas, the Montgomery County sheriff told the Associated Press.
Divimara Lamar Nava, 53, was arrested early Wednesday after allegedly hiding suspected gunman Francisco Oropeza, 38, in a home near Conroe, Texas, where he was found, Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson said. Henderson described Nava as the wife of Oropeza and said she previously denied knowing where Oropeza was.
Online jail records show she’s being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a felony charge of hindering the apprehension or prosecution of a known felon. The same records indicate Nava is not married, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office did not share information regarding Nava’s relationship to Oropeza when reached by USA TODAY.
“Several other arrests” were made, Chief Deputy Tim Kean of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said, adding that fewer than five other people were arrested, according to CNN and local news outlets.
Previous reporting Gunman who killed 5 neighbors in a Texas home is caught after manhunt
The arrests come after Oropeza, 38, was found under a pile of laundry in a closet about 20 miles from the shooting scene, which was in the Texas town of Cleveland, about 45 miles outside Houston.
Oropeza’s arrest followed a four-day search involving hundreds of law enforcement officers from local and state agencies.
Authorities have not released additional information about the additional arrests.
Shooting in rural Texas kills 5, including 9-year-old
Police said Oropeza was firing rounds in his backyard late Friday night when a neighbor asked him to shoot farther away because a baby was trying to sleep. Wilson Garcia, the father of the 1-month-old baby, said he called police after Oropeza refused.
About 10 to 20 minutes later, Oropeza came to the house and started firing, authorities said.
Garcia’s 25-year-old wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, and 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed, along with Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18. Two of the victims were shot while shielding Garcia’s baby and 2-year-old daughter.
“Everybody that was shot was shot from the neck up, almost execution style,” San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.
FBI tip leads authorities to Oropesa after four-day search
Oropeza was arrested in Montgomery County, Texas after authorities received a tip about his location through the FBI’s tip line.
This came after a four-day search involving hundreds of officers, drones and scent-tracking dogs. Authorities offered a $80,000 reward for tips that led to an arrest.
Oropeza was charged with five counts of murder and taken to the San Jacinto County jail, where he’s being held on a $5 million bond. A Mexican national, Oropeza has been deported four times since 2009.
Contributing: The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas shooting updates: Woman who allegedly hid suspect arrested
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