Convict escaped from a prison transport.
QUICK FACTS:
- The Texas convict escaped from prison a transport bus last month and has been the subject of a manhunt ever since.
- Gonzalo Lopez, 46, has been on the run since May 12, according to The New York Post.
- The Texas Department of Criminal Justice reported that Lopez was shot by cops on Thursday in a residential neighborhood of Jourdanton, Texas.
- Authorities said shortly before Lopez’ death he was named the prime suspect in the slaying of an adult anf four children in Centerville, about 250 miles away from the scene of the fatal shootout.
- Lopez was eventually found by law enforcement driving a vehicle he allegedly stole from the murder scene.
- Investigators were eventually tipped off about the murder location by someone who became concerned about one of the victims.
STATEMENT FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT:
- “Law enforcement in Atascosa County located the stolen vehicle, disabled it with spike strips, and gunfire ensued,” the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.
- “At approximately 22:30, the TDCJ received information that Lopez had been shot by law enforcement in Jourdanton, Texas, South of San Antonio. Lopez has been confirmed deceased, and no law enforcement officers were reported to be harmed during the exchange,” the department noted.
BACKGROUND:
- Lopez has been serving a life sentence for Murder since 2006 and was being transported to Texas’ prison headquarters in Huntsville at the time of his escape.
- The convict was being moved for medical treatment when he slipped out of his restraints and stabbed the driver before running into the woods in Leon County, which is a rural area between Houston and Dallas.
