Texas shooting – latest: ‘Dead ends’ in Francisco Oropesa manhunt as $80k reward revealed over five killings

The shooting suspect who allegedly killed five, including an eight-year-old boy, is still at large nearly 48 hours after the tragedy.

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. The whereabouts of Mr Oropesa, who is originally from Mexico, is considered armed and dangerous.

Sheriff Greg Capers told reporters that investigators have “zero leads” and more than 200 law enforcement personnel from several agencies continue an extensive search in the rural area just outside of Cleveland.

The office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott is offering a $50K reward for information that leads to Mr Oropesa’s arrest, Mr Capers said. FBI Special Agent James Smith said his agency is also contributing $25K to that sum, while local law enforcement is offering an extra $5K, bringing the total amount of reward to $80K.

The victims have been identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josué Jonatán Cáceres, 18, according to 12 News. Guzman, a mother of three, leaves behind a two-year-old daughter and a six-month-old baby.

Her family has created a GoFundMe to raise funds so Guzman and her son’s remains can be repatriated to Honduras.

Key Points

• Five dead in Texas shooting as armed suspect on the loose

• Texas mass shooting suspect could be anywhere, sheriff says

• What do we know about the suspect?

Governor Greg Abbott slammed for ‘illegal immigrants’ comment

10:41 , Rachel Sharp

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been slammed for his response to the mass shooting that left five people – including an eight-year-old child – dead in his state.

The Republican governor failed to address the mass shooting for almost two days.

Then, on Sunday, he finally broke his silence – in a statement where he announced his office was contributing a $50,000 reward to catch the suspect and where also labelled the victims “illegal immigrants”.

“Announcing a $50K reward for a @TxDPS top 10 fugitive who is in the country illegally and killed five illegal immigrants Friday night. I also directed #OperationLoneStar to be on the lookout for the criminal and any attempts to flee the country,” he said in a statement.

The statement sparked an instant backlash with social media users quickly correcting him with the words “people”.

Biden hails Tennessee lawmakers attacked by GOP over gun control push: ‘You’re standing up for our kids’

10:00 , Andrea Blanco

President Joe Biden last week welcomed the “Tennessee Three” – the trio of state lawmakers who were targeted by GOP leadership after leading gun control protests in the state capital – to the White House, and hailed them for ”standing up for our kids” during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Mr Biden also condemned state Republicans in Tennessee while speaking with state legislators Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson. Mr Pearson and Mr Jones – who are both Black men – were briefly expelled from their legislative seats by the GOP supermajority that controls the Tennessee House of Representatives, while Ms Johnson, a white woman, was spared by one vote.

A month after the shooting in Nashville, five people were killed in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Independent’s John Bowden reports:

Biden hails Tennessee lawmakers attacked by GOP over gun control push

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

09:00 , Andrea Blanco

Among high-income countries around the world, the United States has for years stood out for one reason: its rate of gun violence.

Over the last decade, among relatively wealthy countries with populations of 10m or more, the rate of gun violence in the US has far surpassed that of any other nation. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the adjusted firearm homicide rate in the US is 22 times that of the European Union and more than that of Asian countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.

This year is on track to be no different. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, there have as of mid-April already been 149 mass shootings in the US — with gun violence claiming lives in every state in the country.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

Four months into the year, America has seen over 160 mass shootings. When will it stop?

08:00 , Andrea Blanco

“We don’t have to live this way; we don’t have to die this way,” the Twitter profile for Everytown for Gun Safety tweeted on Saturday, following the senseless massacre in Cleveland, Texas.

Search widens for suspect as zero leads after shooting

07:49 , Shweta Sharma

A widening manhunt for a Texas gunman who fatally shot five neighbours continued coming up empty Sunday as officers knocked on doors, the FBI appeared no closer to catching the killer after nearly two days of searching with a team that has grown to hundreds of people.

“I can tell you right now, we have zero leads,” James Smith, the FBI special agent in charge, told reporters while again asking the public for tips in the rural town of Cleveland, where the shooting took place just before midnight Friday.

The search for the gunman near Houston has grown in scale: Authorities said that by yesterday evening more than 200 police from multiple jurisdictions were searching for Francisco Oropesa, many of them going door to door in hopes of any clues that would lead to the 38-year-old suspect.

Local officials and the FBI also chipped in reward money, bringing the total to $80,000 for any information about Mr Oropesa’s whereabouts.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities had widened the search area beyond the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect’s neighbours asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard late at night because a baby was trying to sleep.

WATCH: Manhunt continues for suspect in Texas mass shooting

07:00 , Andrea Blanco

Suspect ‘could be anywhere,’ police say

06:00 , Andrea Blanco

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have said 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza “could be anywhere” more than 24 hours after he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours when they complained about him firing rounds in his yard.

The victims were identified on Sunday as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josué Jonatán Cáceres, 18, according to 12 News. Several children were at the home when the violence unfolded.

On Sunday night, the FBI said in a statement that Mr Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous and the public is advised not to approach him.

SJCSO Greg Capers said Mr Oropeza “could be anywhere,” adding that investigators have found a cell phone and clothing believed to belong to Mr Oropeza. K-9 units from the Texas Department of Correction “picked up a scent and then … lost that scent in the water,” according to Fox News.

Authorities have continued searching in the vicinity of the crime scene. Mr Capers said that authorities had widened the search to as far as 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.

Police admit suspect Francisco Oropeza ‘could be anywhere’ despite reports he was cornered

05:00 , Andrea Blanco

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have said 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza “could be anywhere” more than 24 hours after he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours when they complained about him firing rounds in his yard.

Earlier reports by NPR suggested police had located and surrounded the suspect somewhere in the Houston area, but a Saturday night update by the SJCSO stated that Mr Oropeza is still at large. On Sunday night, the FBI said in a statement that Mr Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous and the public is advised not to approach him.

SJCSO Greg Capers said Mr Oropeza “could be anywhere,” adding that investigators have found a cell phone and clothing believed to belong to Mr Oropeza. K-9 units from the Texas Department of Correction “picked up a scent and then … lost that scent in the water,” according to Fox News.

Honduran Consulate in touch with victims’ families

04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Enrique Reina, Honduras’ secretary of foreign affairs and international cooperation, said on Twitter that the Honduran Consulate in Houston was contacting the families in connection with the repatriation of remains as well as US authorities to keep apprised of the investigation.

Republicans insist most gun violence happens in Democratic cities – the figures tell a different story

03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Conservatives like to paint Democratic states as crime-ridden warzones, but gun violence is worse in red states, The Independent’s Josh Marcus writes:

GOP says gun violence mostly happens in Democratic cities – the figures disagree

Texas authorities release potential motive in shooting

02:00 , Andrea Blanco

The shooting was reported at around 10.30pm on the 100 block of Walters Road in the Trails End area in the community about 45 miles (72 kilometres) northeast of Houston. Night shift patrol deputies were dispatched to a residence in reference to a harassment complaint.

The house where the shooting took place

On their way there, they received multiple 911 calls of an active shooter incident at the dispatch location. Three children covered in blood were transported to the hospital, where they were determined to be uninjured, while two other witnesses at the scene were evaluated by first responders and released.

The SJCSO also said that Mr Oropeza “has been known to shoot his 223 out in his front yard, which is evident by the shell casings that are laying in the front yard”.

Police manhunt continues for suspect in Texas mass shooting

01:00 , Andrea Blanco

Law enforcement officers were going door-to-door Sunday searching for clues about a gunman who fled after killing five people in a rural Texas town after his neighboUrs asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard.

The alleged shooter, Francisco Oropesa, 38, was considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday, likely on foot, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said late Saturday. He said authorities had widened the search to 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.

Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said.

Authorities were able to identify Oropesa by an identity card issued by Mexican authorities to citizens who reside outside the country, as well as doorbell camera footage. He said police have also interviewed the suspect’s wife.

AP

FBI explain picture mishap in investigation

Monday 1 May 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

FBI Special Agent James Smith was confronted by reporters who pointed out the FBI had released the picture of a man who is not Mr Oropesa in connection with the investigation, causing the photo of the wrong individual to be used by the media.

Law enforcement also first said the suspect’s last name was Oropeza, but has since corrected the spelling.

“An investigation like this, we’re receiving information from a whole slew of agencies, and citizens” Mr Smith explained. “It was a mistake on our side, we identified it and we worked quickly to have it removed.”

Governor Greg Abbott offers $50K reward in manhunt for Francisco Oropesa

Sunday 30 April 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco

Gov Abbott announced a $50,000 reward for Mr Oropesa, who is now on the Department of Public Safety (DPS) top 10 fugitives list.

"Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the five victims that were taken in this senseless act of violence," said Governor Abbott. "I continue working with state and local officials to ensure they have all available resources to respond to this horrific crime. I thank the men and women in law enforcement who are tirelessly working to ensure this criminal is caught and brought to justice."

Texas shootings: Sheriff admits wrong photo of suspect released and ‘zero leads’ on where ‘noisy neighbour’ killer is

Sunday 30 April 2023 22:16 , Andrea Blanco

A manhunt for the suspect in the deadly shooting in Cleveland, Texas, entered its second day with no leads on his whereabouts, authorities said.

Nearly 48 hours after the violent massacre that left five people dead, the FBI Houston Field Office and the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Officer said in a press conference on Sunday (30 April) that the suspected gunman, 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, is still at large.

The Independent has more:

Texas police have ‘zero leads’ on where ‘noisy Cleveland neighbour’ killer is

San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office and FBI offer $80K reward for information about the suspect

Sunday 30 April 2023 21:31 , Andrea Blanco

The suspect has yet to be apprehended, authorities said during a press conference on Sunday.

The FBI is offering a $25K reward, while the office of Texas Governor Greg Abbott is offering $50K for information regarding Mr Oropesa’s whereabouts.

The San Jacinto Sheriff’s Office is also offering a $5K sum.

FBI announces upcoming press conference

Sunday 30 April 2023 20:35 , Andrea Blanco

The FBI Houston Field Office has said investigators with the agency and the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office will hold a press conference at 3pm CDT (4pm ET).

Texas shooting: Police admit suspect Francisco Oropeza ‘could be anywhere’ despite reports he was cornered

Sunday 30 April 2023 19:50 , Andrea Blanco

A manhunt for the Texas gunman accused of killing five neighbours continues despite earlier reports that law enforcement had cornered him.

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have said 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza “could be anywhere” more than 24 hours after he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours when they complained about him firing rounds in his yard.

The victims were identified on Sunday as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josué Jonatán Cáceres, 18, according to 12 News. Several children were at the home when the violence unfolded.

The Independent has more:

Police admit Texas shooting suspect ‘could be anywhere’

Police release new pictures of suspect

Sunday 30 April 2023 19:37 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropesa, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they were trying to sleep. The whereabouts of Mr Oropesa, who is originally from Mexico, are unknown and he is considered dangerous.

Authorities had earlier said his last name was “Oropeza” but corrected the spelling on Sunday.

How a complaint over gun noise turned into a mass murder: What we know about Texas shooting

Sunday 30 April 2023 19:23 , Andrea Blanco

A Texas man allegedly opened fire on his neighbours after they asked him to stop shooting rounds in his yard, authorities in Texas said on Saturday (29 April).

Five people, including an eight-year-old child and a 15-year-old girl, were killed in the Friday night violence, according to the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office.

Here’s everything we know about the shooting:

Everything we know about Texas mass shooting that left five dead

Suspect "could be anywhere’ police say

Sunday 30 April 2023 18:40 , Andrea Blanco

The San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI have said 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza “could be anywhere” more than 24 hours after he allegedly opened fire on his next-door neighbours when they complained about him firing rounds in his yard.

The victims were identified on Sunday as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, her eight-year-old son Daniel Enrique Laso, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Josué Jonatán Cáceres, 18, according to 12 News. Several children were at the home when the violence unfolded.

Earlier reports by NPR suggested police had located and surrounded the suspect somewhere in the Houston area, but a Saturday night update by the SJCSO stated that Mr Oropeza is still at large. On Sunday night, the FBI said in a statement that Mr Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous and the public is advised not to approach him.

SJCSO Greg Capers said Mr Oropeza “could be anywhere,” adding that investigators have found a cell phone and clothing believed to belong to Mr Oropeza. K-9 units from the Texas Department of Correction “picked up a scent and then … lost that scent in the water,” according to Fox News.

Authorities have continued searching in the vicinity of the crime scene. Mr Capers said that authorities had widened the search to as far as 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.

Victims in deadly Texas shooting named as survivor recounts confronting gunman with machete

Sunday 30 April 2023 18:00 , Andrea Blanco

Survivor Jefrey Rivera, whose wife was killed in the Friday night shooting, said he tried to confront neighbour who killed five people.

The Independent has more:

Victims in deadly Texas shooting named as survivor recounts terrifying massacre

Mother and eight-year-old among fatal victims

Sunday 30 April 2023 17:09 , Andrea Blanco

Family members in Honduras told HCH on Sunday morning that Sonia Argentina Guzman was the mother of the eight-year-old killed in the shooting. A cousin of Guzman told the network that she had moved to the US eight years ago, while her son had five years living in America.

Guzman, a mother of three, leaves behind a two-year-old daughter and a six-month-old baby. Her husband survived the shooting.

Her family has created a GoFundMe to raise funds so Guzman and her son’s remains can be repatriated.

“I just spoke with her on the phone yesterday and now they’re sending her back to me in a casket,” Guzman’s mother Francia Guzman also told HCH through tears.

More than 24 hours after the tragedy, the suspect has yet to be apprehended. An earlier press release by the SJCSO stated that he was believed to have fled the country but more recent reports suggest he is in the Houston-Cleveland area.

Survivor ‘tried to defend himself with machete'

Sunday 30 April 2023 16:26 , Andrea Blanco

Velazquez’s husband Jefrey Rivera told the Honduran network HCH that his wife died protecting their children. Recounting the terrifying moments leading up to the massacre, Mr Rivera said that someone in his household asked Mr Oropeza to stop shooting rounds in his yards because they had several children in the home who were trying to sleep.

Mr Rivera said that he then saw his very intoxicated neighbour approaching with an AR-15 rifle.

“I realised he was coming in our direction while armed with a rifle, so I tried to find something to defend myself with and found a machete, but by the time I found it I heard the shots being fired,” Mr Rivera told HCH.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

Sunday 30 April 2023 15:39 , Andrea Blanco

Among high-income countries around the world, the United States has for years stood out for one reason: its rate of gun violence.

Over the last decade, among relatively wealthy countries with populations of 10m or more, the rate of gun violence in the US has far surpassed that of any other nation. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the adjusted firearm homicide rate in the US is 22 times that of the European Union and more than that of Asian countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

What do we know about the suspect?

Sunday 30 April 2023 15:04 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they had children trying to sleep. Mr Oropeza fled the scene after the violence.

The deceased, who ranged in age from eight to their early forties, were originally from Honduras. Authorities at the scene told reporters that Mr Oropeza, an illegal alien from Mexico, had been deported at least twice before the tragedy on Friday night, according to Univision 45 Houston.

The suspect has not been apprehended. An earlier press release by the SJCSO stated that he was believed to have fled the country but more recent reports suggest he is in the Houston-Cleveland area.

One of the survivors reportedly caught the moment the suspect walked into the house with the rifle on video.

Mr Oropeza is described as approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and with short black hair, ABC reported.

Victims named as suspect still at large

Sunday 30 April 2023 14:41 , Andrea Blanco

Earlier reports by NPR suggested police had located and surrounded the suspect, but a Saturday night update by the SJCSO stated that Mr Oropeza is still at large.

The victims have been identified as Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Daniel Enrique Laso, 8, according to 12News. They were originally from Honduras, Mr Capers said.

Texas mass shooting suspect could be anywhere, sheriff says

Sunday 30 April 2023 13:54 , Maryam Zakir-Hussain

The search for a Texas man who allegedly shot his neighbors after they asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard stretched into a second day Sunday, with authorities saying the man could be anywhere by now.

Francisco Oropeza, 38, fled after the shooting Friday night that left five people dead, including an 8-year-old boy.

San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Saturday evening that authorities had widened the search to as far as 20 miles (32 kilometers) from the scene of the shooting.

Investigators found clothes and a phone while combing a rural area that includes dense layers of forest, but tracking dogs lost the scent, Capers said.

Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that Oropeza allegedly used in the shootings but authorities were not sure if he was carrying another weapon, the sheriff said.

“He could be anywhere now,” Capers said.

The attack happened near the town of Cleveland, north of Houston, on a street where some residents say neighbors often unwind by firing off guns.

Capers said the victims were between the ages of 8 and 31 years old and that all were believed to be from Honduras.

All were shot “from the neck up,” he said.

The attack was the latest act of gun violence in what has been a record pace of mass shootings in the U.S. so far this year, some of which have also involved semiautomatic rifles.

Father of child killed in Uvalde mass shooting decries Gov Abbott’s lack of response

Sunday 30 April 2023 13:20 , Andrea Blanco

Brett Cross, who lost his son Uziyah in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde last year, criticized Texas Governor Gregg Abbott’s reaction — or lack thereof — to the massacre.

The Republican leader, who tweeted a picture of his pet dog along with the caption “all smiles for the weekend” on Saturday, had yet to issue a statement regarding the shooting by midday on Saturday. The Independent has reached out to his office for comment.

More than 170 mass shooting in the US this year, according to CNN

Sunday 30 April 2023 12:40 , Andrea Blanco

The US is setting a devastating record pace for mass killings in 2023, according to the Associated Press. The violence is sparked by a range of motives: murder-suicides and domestic violence; gang retaliation; school shootings and workplace vendettas. All those listed as mass killings in the report have taken the lives of four or more people since 1 January.

Reacting to the deadly violence on Friday night, gun safety advocates slammed lax weapon laws in Texas.

“Assault rifles were designed to be used by highly trained soldiers in battle, not marketed to violent men to carry out revenge fantasies,” gun violence prevention activist and Moms Demand Action founder Shannon Watts tweeted on Saturday. “From Newtown to Nashville, Las Vegas to Uvalde, these weapons of war are chosen and used to inflict as much harm as quickly as possible.”

Ms Watts went on to criticize Texas Governor Gregg Abbott’s reaction — or lack thereof — to the massacre. The political leader, who tweeted a picture of his pet dog along with the caption “all smiles for the weekend” on Saturday, had yet to issue a statement regarding the shooting by midday on Saturday. The Independent has reached out to his office for comment.

“This is the Governor of Texas’ tweet AFTER learning that a gunman armed with an assault rifle opened fire on a family in his state, killing five people, including an 8-year-old,” Ms Watts wrote.

Where in America has gun violence spiked?

Sunday 30 April 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco

“You would think, hearing many prominent Republicans discuss America’s gun violence epidemic, that most shootings only occur in large cities in Democratic states like Los Angeles and New York, proving that gun laws make no difference, or that Black Lives Matter protests had somehow led to an end of effective policing,” The Independent’s Josh Marcus writes.

“But gun violence is worse in red states.”

GOP says gun violence mostly happens in Democratic cities – the figures disagree

Texas gunman kills five neighbours including child, 8, after complaint over him shooting in yard, authorities say

Sunday 30 April 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Francisco Oropeza, 38, is accused of opening fire on his neighbours after a complaint about him shooting in his yard, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said.

Four people were pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting and the fifth died at a hospital in Cleveland, the San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said early Saturday.

The Independent’s Andrea Blanco:

Texas gunman kills five neighbours over complaint of him shooting in yard, police say

What do we know about the suspect?

Sunday 30 April 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco

The gunman, identified as 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, shot his neighbours with an AR-15 style rifle after they asked him to stop firing rounds in his yard because they had children trying to sleep. Mr Oropeza fled the scene after the violence, but has since been surrounded by law enforcement, NPR reports.

The deceased, who ranged in age from eight to their early forties, were originally from Honduras. Authorities at the scene told reporters that Mr Oropeza, an illegal alien from Mexico, had been deported at least twice before the tragedy on Friday night, according to Univision 45 Houston.

The suspect has not been apprehended and it is unclear where in Texas he had been located. An earlier press release by the SJCSO stated that he was believed to have fled the country but more recent reports suggest he is in the Houston-Cleveland area.

One of the survivors reportedly caught the moment the suspect walked into the house with the rifle on video.

Mr Oropeza is described as approximately 5’8” tall, last seen wearing blue jeans with a black shirt and work boots and with short black hair, ABC reported.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

Sunday 30 April 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Among high-income countries around the world, the United States has for years stood out for one reason: its rate of gun violence.

Over the last decade, among relatively wealthy countries with populations of 10m or more, the rate of gun violence in the US has far surpassed that of any other nation. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, the adjusted firearm homicide rate in the US is 22 times that of the European Union and more than that of Asian countries like Japan and the Republic of Korea.

This year is on track to be no different. According to data from the Gun Violence Archive, there have as of mid-April already been 149 mass shootings in the US — with gun violence claiming lives in every state in the country.

How many mass shootings have there been in 2023?

Biden hails Tennessee lawmakers attacked by GOP over gun control push: ‘You’re standing up for our kids’

Sunday 30 April 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco

President Joe Biden last week welcomed the “Tennessee Three” – the trio of state lawmakers who were targeted by GOP leadership after leading gun control protests in the state capital – to the White House, and hailed them for ”standing up for our kids” during a meeting in the Oval Office.

Mr Biden also condemned state Republicans in Tennessee while speaking with state legislators Justin Pearson, Justin Jones, and Gloria Johnson. Mr Pearson and Mr Jones – who are both Black men – were briefly expelled from their legislative seats by the GOP supermajority that controls the Tennessee House of Representatives, while Ms Johnson, a white woman, was spared by one vote.

A month after the shooting in Nashville, five people were killed in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Independent’s John Bowden reports:

Biden hails Tennessee lawmakers attacked by GOP over gun control push

Father of child killed in Uvalde mass shooting decries Gov Abbott’s lack of response to Friday shooting

Sunday 30 April 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Brett Cross, who lost his son Uziyah in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde last year, criticized Texas Governor Gregg Abbott’s reaction — or lack thereof — to the massacre.

The Republican leader, who tweeted a picture of his pet dog along with the caption “all smiles for the weekend” on Saturday, had yet to issue a statement regarding the shooting by midday on Saturday. The Independent has reached out to his office for comment.

Two women died protecting children who survived massacre sparked by noise complaint

Sunday 30 April 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Two Texas women died while protecting children from a gunman who also killed three others, including an eight-year-old child.

The violence unfolded on Friday night when neighbours in the city of Cleveland, about an hour away from Houston, asked 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza to stop shooting rounds in his yard because they had sleeping children in the home, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said.

Read more:

Two women died protecting kids who survived Texas massacre sparked by noise complaint