TEXAS law enforcement shot dead a convicted murderer who escaped prison and was suspected of killing a family close to his last known location, said authorities yesterday.

The bodies of five people – one adult and four children – were found in a house near the town of Centerville in Leon County yesterday, said the local sheriff’s office.

Gonzalo Lopez was shot in the city of Jourdanton after gunfire ensued when law enforcement officers located the family’s stolen vehicle and disabled it with spike strips, said Texas Criminal Justice Department spokesman Jason Clark.

Police have been searching for Lopez since he escaped while being transported to another prison by bus on May 12.

Clark said the 46-year-old criminal, who was serving a life sentence for capital murder, escaped his restraints and sawed through the metal cage in which he was being held on the bus before assaulting the driver and fleeing.

Police yesterday were called by a relative of the deceased family who was worried after not hearing from them, he told a press conference before the fugitive was shot.

“Lopez is obviously a killer. He has a disregard for human life.”

Clark said the family lived in Houston, and that the residence was a weekend home. – AFP, June 3, 2022.