TOMBALL, Texas – A Texas community is in mourning after five family members were murdered Thursday inside a Leon County home by escaped cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez.
"The whole community here has suffered a loss," David Crain, a longtime friend of the Collins family said as he choked back tears during a Friday afternoon press conference. "It's going to be unfillable."
At a press conference inside Houston Northwest Church led by Houston Crime Stoppers and the family's pastor, more details emerged about the grandfather and four grandsons.
All are identified as brothers Carson, 16, Hudson, 11, and Waylon Collins, 18, their cousin Bryson, 11, and their grandfather, Mark Collins, 66.
The Leon County Sheriff's Office gave some preliminary details of the murder investigation earlier today and said it appeared Lopez "entered the residence sometime on Thursday and gained access to several firearms on the property."
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Cartel killer Gonzalo Lopez dies in Texas shootout after he killed family of 5: TDCJ
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Authorities have not said how the grandfather and four grandsons died Thursday, but the convicted killer did flee the Centerville home Thursday in a white pickup belonging to the family and had an assault rifle and handgun at the time of his death.
Officials with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have also not commented on how the convicted killer hid right under their noses during what they called an "exhaustive search" in Leon County.
Jason Clarke with TDCJ said during a press conference last night the Collins home was repeatedly searched earlier this month during the manhunt for Lopez.
Steve Bezner, the Collins' family pastor of over nine years, said the surviving family are looking to a higher power to cope with the devastating loss.
"I can say unequivocally they are a family of the greatest character, the deepest faith and unrelenting kindness and love," Bezner said. "They have been pillars in this church and this community for over 40 years. And we are heartbroken with them over this tragedy."
The four boys all attended schools within Tomball ISD, and hundreds of people attended a vigil early this evening at the Tomball High School baseball field.
The oldest of the boys, Waylon, 18, was a Tomball Little League baseball umpire, according to reporting by ABC13.
Family and friends are collecting donations on GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses for the Collins family.
Click here to donate.
ORIGINAL STORY
A grandfather and four grandchildren have been identified as victims that authorities say were killed by convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez before law enforcement gunned him down late Thursday near San Antonio.
That’s according to a post from Tomball ISD, where the children attended in suburban Houston.
The children were on summer vacation after the school year ended May 26. Names of the victims have not been released.
The rural cabin where the family was killed is along Hwy 7 west of Centerville. Authorities found the bodies of the five dead inside. The cabin is located near where Lopez escaped and fled from a prison bus on May 12. It wasn't immediately clear if Lopez had been staying in the cabin after his escape.
"Prayers for our Tomball community," a Tomball ISD social media post said. "Grief counseling services are available for students needing support at this time."
"Please join us as we mourn the loss of four Tomball ISD students," Tomball Little League said in a Facebook post. "The oldest of these children was an umpire at Tomball Little League."
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.
PREVIOUS STORY
Convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez was killed late Thursday in a shootout with law enforcement as authorities named him a "prime suspect" in the murder of five.
Lopez, 46, had been on the run since escaping a prison bus May 12 in Leon County.
A Texas prison system spokesman said Lopez killed a Houston family of five 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 a grandfather and four grandchildren dead 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.
25 News will provide more details as they become available.
