In a developing case out of Texas, Leon County Police announced on Thursday the death of a recently escaped prisoner whom they tie to a string of killings during an escape attempt. The department confirmed through its official channels that the inmate, named Gonzalo Artemio López, was captured and died in the ensuing confrontation. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice later stated that López was killed by gunfire fired by agents during the incident. No law enforcement officers sustained injuries in the shootout that unfolded in Jourdanton, Texas.
Earlier in the day, authorities reported the discovery of five deceased individuals at a residence in the Centerville area, the same region where López had been sought. The victims included one adult and four children. Officials indicated that López used a vehicle located at the home to continue fleeing the scene, complicating the manhunt and expanding the scope of the investigation.
López had a parole or escape status that carried a substantial reward, with law enforcement offering a $50,000 incentive for information leading to his capture. The escape occurred on the 12th while the prisoner was being transported by a prison bus to a medical facility, a detail that has raised questions about security procedures during inmate transfers.
Jason Clark, who heads the Texas Criminal Justice Department, described the residence in Centerville as the second home of a family from Houston that had already been investigated multiple times during the search. Clark noted that investigators possess evidence linking López to the break-in and the subsequent killings, while refraining from providing a full account of the sequence of events or the supporting material. The authorities have not issued a comprehensive narrative of the confrontation, but López was located deceased after the strong-armed encounter.