Convicted murderer who killed family-of-five after escaping from prison is killed in police shootout
A convicted murderer who escaped from a Texas prison transport bus in May 2022 has been shot dead by cops during a shootout.
Gonzalo Lopez, 46, who had been on the run since May 12, was killed in a shootout in a residential neighbourhood in Jourdanton, Texas, about 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 2.
Shortly before Lopez’s death, he had been named the prime suspect in the slaying of five family members – two adults and three children – in Centerville, about 250 miles away from the scene of his fatal shootout, authorities said.
Lopez was ultimately spotted by law enforcement driving a white Chevrolet Silverado that he stole from the murder scene.
Police chased him and Lopez crashed into a tree after running over spike strips. He then exited the vehicle and began shooting at officers, who returned fire, striking and killing him, according to Jason Clark, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
No law enforcement officers were injured in the gunfight.
Clark, at a Thursday night press conference, said Lopez was armed with a rifle and handgun, which were believed to have been stolen from the home of the murder victims.
The identities of the victims were not revealed on Thursday night. They were from Houston, but spent their weekends at the Centerville home, reports said.
Lopez had evaded arrest since he slipped out of his restraints on the inmate-filled bus and stabbed the driver before running off into the woods in Leon County.
The inmate, who was serving a life sentence for a 2006 murder, was being transported to Texas’ prison headquarters in Huntsville — about 50 miles north of Leon County — for a medical appointment when he made his escape, officials said.
