FAMILY SLAUGHTERED
Gonzalo Lopez’s victims identified as Mark Collins and 4 grandsons aged 11 to 18 who were shot dead by escaped convict
THE victims believed to have been shot dead by escaped convict Gonzalo Lopez have been identified as a grandfather and his four young grandsons.
Lopez, 46, weeks-long run from justice ended on Thursday evening in a shootout with cops – hours after he allegedly murdered Mark Collins and his grandsons at their vacation home in Centerville, .
10
10
10
10
His grandson, 18-year-old Waylon Collins, Carson, 16, Hudson, 11, and their 11-year-old cousin Bryson were staying at a family ranch off of Highway 7 near Centerville, according to .
Officials believe they had arrived at the ranch Thursday morning, hours before they were killed by the armed and dangerous convict.
The family released a statement Friday evening, read at a press conference by Andy Kahan with Crime Stoppers Houston.
"We are devastated by the loss of our dear family members at the family ranch in Centerville, Texas," it read.
Read More On News
"These precious people who loved and were loved by so many will never be forgotten."
Speaking at a press conference, officials decried the horrific quintuple murder as "gutwrenching" and "as bad as it gets."
David Crain, a longtime family friend, said the loss "is going to be unfillable."
The three brothers, Waylon, Carson, and Hudson, were reportedly their parents' only children.
Most read in US News
Crain added that Hudson was just baptized in the family's swimming pool three days before the 11-year-old was shot dead in cold blood.
The Tomball Independent School District sent out a letter on Friday saying all four children were their students.
"The lives of four Tomball ISD students and their grandfather were taken from us on Thursday by the escaped Texas fugitive near Centerville," the school said.
"The loss of a student, for any reason, is heartbreaking, but to lose four in such a tragic way is excruciating.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of these beloved students and grandfather."
To lose four in such a tragic way is excruciating
Tomball Independent School District
Tomball schools are out for the summer, but the district said grief counselors would be made available.
Waylon Collins was a well-known athlete and had just graduated from Tomball High School.
He was also an umpire for Tomball Little League, who released a statement saying they are "deeply saddened" to learn of the tragedy.
It stated: "We mourn the loss of these lives and pray for their family and all who knew them.
"One of the children was an umpire at Tomball Little League. Our baseball community is heartbroken to lose a colleague and friend."
LOPEZ SHOT DEAD
The shootout happened in Jourdanton, Texas, just south of San Antonio.
Authorities say Lopez had an AR-15 and a handgun inside the car that was likely from the residence where he murdered the family.
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice said they received a call from someone who was concerned after not hearing from an elderly relative.
Officers went to the residence and discovered the bodies and noted that a vehicle was also missing.
A 1999 white Chevrolet Silverado, belonging to the Collins family, was not located at the residence.
Police believed Lopez may have been driving the vehicle and was armed before the dramatic police standoff yesterday.
Lopez escaped from a prison bus on May 12 as it was headed to Huntsville for a medical appointment.
10
10
Somehow, Lopez had managed to free himself from his hand and leg restraints and cut through the expanded metal of the cage before crawling out of the bottom, said TDCJ.
He then attacked the bus driver, who stopped the bus.
At some point during the altercation, the bus driver was stabbed and injured in the hand and chest, he survived his wounds.
The driver suffered stab wounds to the hand and chest, according to Jason Clark, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's chief of staff.
An officer at the back of the bus then got off and approached Lopez – but the inmate climbed back aboard and started driving.
Officers shot at Lopez and managed to disable the bus by shooting a rear tire. The bus was able to travel a short distance before Lopez got out and ran into the woods.
Sixteen other prisoners were on the bus as well, but no one else escaped.
“He’s crafty,” said TDCJ spokesman Robert Hurst last month. “He’s done this before down in South Texas in Webb County, he hid out for almost nine days.”
Lopez has a lengthy rap sheet dating back to 1996 when he was convicted of two counts of aggravated assault.
He was sentenced to eight years in prison.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Read More On The Sun
Then in 2006, Lopez was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and received a life sentence.
In 2007, Lopez received a second life sentence following an attempted capital murder conviction in another county.
10
10
10
10
We pay for your stories!
Do you have a story for The US Sun team?
Email us at [email protected] or call 212 416 4552. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at
Topics