ESCAPED INMATE KILLED IN POLICE SHOOTOUT AFTER FAMILY OF FIVE FOUND DEAD
A missing convict who had been on the run since May 12th after escaping from a prison transport bus in Leon County was killed in a shootout Thursday night, after a family of five was found dead in a home in Centerville.
(Texas Dept. of Criminal Justice)
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) said 46-year-old Gonzalo Lopez was killed in Jourdanton, south of San Antonio. TDCJ Chief of Staff Jason Clark said he was seen driving a 1999 white Chevrolet Silverado that he was suspected of stealing from the home.
Authorities deployed spike strips and disabled the vehicle before Lopez fired at law enforcement, prompting an exchange of gunfire that killed him. No officers were injured.
Clark said the family killed was from Houston and was visiting their weekend home in Centerville. The family of one adult and four minors had been seen Thursday morning, and were found dead around 6 p.m. after relatives called authorities because they had not heard from the family. Clark said they had no relation to Lopez.
Lopez was believed to have stolen a truck, clothes and firearms from the home. Clark said the home had been checked several times since his escape last month.
The search for Lopez began when he broke free of his restraints on a prison bus before stabbing the driver and fleeing on foot after the bus crashed near Centerville. Lopez was serving a life sentence for capital murder in Hidalgo County and attempted capital murder in Webb County. Authorities said he was affiliated with the Mexican Mafia.