A nine-year-old boy was fatally shot after he ran to protect his mother from the suspected shooter in Texas.
On Friday evening (April 28), five victims - including the young boy named Daniel Enrique Laso and his 25-year-old mother, Sonia Argentina Guzman - were killed after alleged shooter Francisco Oropesa entered a home and opened fire, as reported by CNN.
The horrific Texas shooting also took the lives of three victims named Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21, Julisa Molina Rivera, 31, and Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18.
There is an ongoing manhunt for the gunman. Investigators first started tracking him using his phone but revealed that the trail went cold on Saturday evening.
Daniel's father, Wilson Garcia, revealed to NBC News that Oropesa - who was the family's neighbor - allegedly approached their house with his semi-automatic-style rifle after repeated requests to move his shooting target practice. He said the sound of the gunfire was keeping his one-month-old baby awake.
"So we went and told the man to please stop shooting, or go continue shooting further away from the house. But he answered by saying he was in his property and could do whatever he wants," he said.
Wilson said that after the plea, the gunman was on his porch "smoking and drinking something" before he went inside and loaded his gun. He then allegedly walked into their house, shot Sonia, and then strolled "room by room, shooting at us".
The grieving father disclosed that his son died after trying to protect his mom, stating: "My son died because he wanted to protect his mother, because seeing her fallen, he took off running to where she was. And he [the suspect] had no compassion, to see a boy crying for his mother.
"My son, he died because he was defending his mother. When he saw her on the floor, he ran toward her, and that man had no compassion. A kid crying for his mom," he added.
Wilson escaped the scene by jumping through a window. He emotionally recalled one of the victims urging him to run after his wife was killed so that he could "stay alive" and care for his other children.
In addition to this, Daniel's uncle Ramiro Guzman was hiding in a closet with his wife and child to survive the massacre. He shared that when he came out from hiding, his gunned-down nephew was fighting for his life on the floor.
"He was writhing on the floor, and I said, 'Oh my God, he's still alive,'" Guzman said, per Daily Mail, admitting that he "thought he would survive".
The man heartbreakingly disclosed that his nephew and the killer's son would regularly see each other as they "always would take his bicycle to where the school bus would stop".
Law enforcement is currently looking for the suspect and has asked the public to submit any tips or information that could lead to his arrest.
Meanwhile, Garcia told the publication that he doesn't want the police to "kill" Oropesa but instead "apprehend him, put him in jail, and make him pay for everything he did" because killing him "would be too easy".
The father hopes the gunman surrenders and "repents," explaining: "He has a son the same age as mine, and what if somebody would’ve taken the person he loves the most like he did to me.
"That if he has any compassion, to reflect on what he did and that if he repents, then good, to turn himself into authorities. Because the pain that we feel, I don’t wish it upon anybody. He took my loved one, and I don’t even wish this pain feeling upon him," he added.
Our thoughts are with all the victims' families and friends at this time.
