CENTERVILLE, Texas — Autopsy results have been released for the family of five killed by Texas cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez before he was gunned down by law enforcement near San Antonio.
Each of the five died as a result of gun and sharp force or stab injuries, according to the Dallas-based Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science’s medical examiner's “cause of death” report.
All have been ruled homicides, the report said.
According to the report:
- Mark Allen Collins, 66, grandfather of four young men who were with him when they were attacked by Lopez, died due to a “shotgun wound of the abdomen and sharp force injuries.”
- Waylon Collins, 18, died as a result of “sharp force injuries and gunshot wound of the back.”
- Bryson Collins, 11, Carson Collins, 16, and Hudson Collins, 11, died due to “gunshot wounds and stab wounds.”
Law enforcement have not released information on exactly how they believe Lopez killed the Collins family.
Lopez, 46, had been on the run between the time he escaped a prison bus May 12 in Leon County and he shot the Collins family on June 2.
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A Texas prison system spokesman said Lopez killed the family in their weekend cabin and took their pickup truck. He was spotted in the truck in Jourdanton, Texas, roughly 35 miles south of San Antonio.
A shootout ensued — and Lopez was killed — after authorities used spike strips to blow out the tires. Lopez came out of the truck shooting an AR-15 at officers. Officers there engaged in gunfire with Lopez, killing him, according to Jason Clark with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. In addition to the AR-15, he had a pistol, Clark said.
The rural cabin where the family was killed is along Hwy 7 west of Centerville. Authorities found the bodies of the five Collins family members inside. The cabin is located near where Lopez escaped the prison bus. It wasn't immediately clear if Lopez had been staying in the cabin since his escape.
Affiliated with the “Mexican Mafia,” Lopez had ties to San Antonio and the Rio Grande Valley. In 2006, he was sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping. He received a second life sentence in 2007 for attempted capital murder. In 1996, he received two eight-year sentences for two counts of aggravated assault.
