At least five people have been killed in yet another mass shooting in Texas on early Saturday in San Jacinto County — 55 miles north of Houston — US media reported.
Four people were found dead at the scene whereas an 8-year-old was declared dead at the hospital, said San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.
Three wounded people have also been brought to hospital however, their condition is unknown. Two other people were also inside the home but they were released after evaluation.
According to the police, the suspected assailant is Mexican, armed with an AR-15 rifle and is intoxicated.
Authorities noted that they are looking for a Hispanic male who is approximately 5’8 tall, wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and is described as having short black hair.
“The Mexican male subject, he has been known to shoot his 223 out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are lying in the front yard,” said the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.
The ages of the 10 victims are between eight and 40 years old.
Sheriff Greg Capers of the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office told ABC News’ Houston station KTRK: “All of the victims were shot from the neck up, almost execution style.”
Capers also noted that the police have identified the suspect and believe he is some 10-12 miles away from the crime scene. However, police have not located him yet, he said, adding that “we are getting closer to him every minute of every hour but we know who he is.”
“He is from Mexico. The victims themselves were from Honduras,” Capers said.
Police are interviewing the suspect’s wife, said Capers.
The shooting in Texas occurred in the 100 block of Walters Road in the Trails End area in Cleveland, Texas, Capers said in a Facebook post.
As the night shift patrol received the complaints of harassment, they were dispatched to the scene. While on the way to the complainant, the communication centre got several 911 calls about a shooting incident at the location.
On their arrival on the scene, the deputies found victims dead and others wounded from multiple gunshot wounds.
The post said Montgomery County SWAT arrived to assist and “determined that the shooter had fled the county”.
An arrest warrant has been issued by a judge for the suspected shooter, who remains unidentified. The judge has also assigned a $5 million bond, according to the San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office.
The Texas Rangers are also on the scene assisting.
“This is still a very fluid scene and an active investigation,” said Capers.
According to a neighbour, residents frequently shoot firearms in the area.
“There’s always shooting, there’s always shooting. There’s always people calling the cops and there’s nothing being done,” she told KTRK.
The neighbour noted that she did not know the alleged shooter well but she would wave to him when he would pass by with his horses.
This is a developing story and will be updated with more details