Texas prison officials say a convicted murderer on the run since escaping a prison bus after stabbing its driver last month has been fatally shot by law enforcement after he killed a family of five and took their truck.
State prison system spokesman Jason Clark says Gonzalo Lopez was killed about 35 south of San Antonio late Thursday.
Just before 9 p.m., the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported law enforcement officers discovered the bodies of one adult and four children in a residence within the "search perimeter."
A 1999 white Chevrolet Silverado, license plate DPV4520, was missing from the residence. It is believed that the escaped inmate, Gonzalo Lopez, may be driving the vehicle and may be armed.
— TDCJ (@TDCJ) June 3, 2022
Lopez was thought to be hiding near Centerville, Texas, when they received a call from someone concerned after not hearing from an elderly relative.
Officers went to a weekend cabin near Centerville and found the bodies of one adult and four minors. Authorities say the family was from Houston. Officials say law enforcement officers and Lopez exchanged gunfire before he was fatally shot.
This story was originally published by Doug Myers, Todd Unger, Trenton Hooker of KXXV in Central Texas.