Five people killed in Cleveland, Texas, shooting
3 Min Read
Cleveland's Sherrif says five Honduran people were killed in one house, while the suspect is still on the run.
-
Law enforcement personnel work at the scene of a mass shooting in Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas, US, May 25, 2022 (Reuters)
Five people were killed in a mass shooting on Friday evening in Texas by an individual carrying an AR-15 assault rifle, US media agencies reported, citing the police.
After receiving a call at 11:31 pm local time regarding harassment in Cleveland, Texas, San Jacinto County Sheriff dispatched a force to the scene where they found several shooting victims on site.
ABC News cited the police as saying that the youngest victim is eight years old, in addition to two female victims who were found in a bedroom lying on top of two surviving children.
Read more: Washington state bans assault weapons including AR-15s
An intoxicated man armed with the rifle is the current suspect, authorities said.
San Jacinto County Sheriff’s Office said that at least 10 people were in the house when the force arrived, noting that all victims were between eight and 40 years old.
Residents of the area of the shooting are requested to "stay inside [and] stay clear" of the crime scene until the end of the investigation.
Read more: S.Dakota governor boasts her 2-year-old grandchild owns several guns
The victims were all from Honduras, four of which were discovered dead at the scene while the other victim was announced dead after reaching the hospital.
But this is not the only mass shooting that Texas witnessed recently.
Last Sunday, a dispute between teenagers at an after-prom party left 11 injured in a shooting at a house hosting around 250 people.
Local authorities announced on Friday that the perpetrators of the crime were finally arrested.
According to Jasper County Sheriff's Office, three 19-year-old males and one 18-year-old - who were served warrants from the Jasper Police Department - were charged with aggravated assault using a deadly weapon and taking part in organized criminal activity.
The sheriff described the crime as an act of "senseless violence", adding that further arrests are possible.
Read more: US exceeded 100 mass shootings in just 64 days
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas revealed last week that there have been more mass shootings in 2023 in the United States than there have been days.
The United States is setting a record yearly pace for mass killings, with around one each week, a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University highlighted earlier this month.
According to the numbers until the report date, 88 people were killed in 17 mass killings in 111 days. They were all shot. In the same time span, only 2009 witnessed as many such killings.
Earlier this week, Washington State prohibited the sale of most assault rifles, including AR-15s, making it the tenth US state to broadly ban assault weapons, joining California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York, as well as D.C., according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
