Texas – Brothers killed in ‘Dream Journey’

NEW YORK (Dagbladet): Hundreds of mourners gathered Friday at a baseball stadium just south of Houston in Texas. They remember grandfather Mark Collins (66) and four grandchildren, brothers Waylon (18), Carson (16) and Hudson (11) as well as cousin Bryson (11), reports CNN.

According to police, they were allegedly killed by Gonzalo Lopez, 46, at the family’s farm on Tuesday.

Lopez had already been convicted of murder and had been on the run since escaping a prisoner transfer on May 12. The escape led to one of the largest stalkings in Texas history.

– Indescribable

Lopez is said to have killed his grandfather and grandchildren before police shot and killed him later on Thursday.

What happened to the Collins family is indescribable. “They were shining stars,” said Detective David Breen in the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. News letters.

He is a close friend of the family.

– It was a wonderful family. They are a close-knit family after five family members were murdered on the family farm on Tuesday, Reverend Steve Pezner told the TV channel.

– I love grandchildren

– Mark was a very active husband, father and grandfather, loved his grandchildren and loved spending time with them in the fresh air. The boys all took part in many activities in the local community — American football, baseball, and soccer, Pizner told The Washington Post.

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Waylon, the eldest grandchild, had dropped out of Tomball High School a few days before the murder.

Losing a student – for any reason – is heartbreaking. But losing four in such a tragic way is unbearable. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of these dear students and grandparents,” said Martha Salazar Zamora, Tomball Independent School District Principal.

Gun

Lopez killed himself in a shootout with police late Thursday, a few hours after he was identified as a suspect in the Collins family murder.

Investigators believe Lopez broke into the family home and stole a pickup truck. Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark told CNN that Lopez drove this when police were able to stop him with nail brushes.

“He fired several shots at the police and was armed with an AR-15,” Clark said.

Arrested at the airport

None of the police officers were injured in the shooting.

run away

Lopez had escaped on May 12 from a prisoner transfer center near Centerville when he was due to be transferred from prison to a doctor’s appointment. This led to a massive police manhunt for the man who police say is linked to a violent gang. A video clip shows him running in the woods after escaping prison guards.

The Collins family farm was in the area where the police were looking for Lopez.
All four grandchildren had just taken their summer vacation. They packed fishing rods looking forward to spending time on the farm, according to family friends.

no connection

on me Press Conference Besner described the beginning of summer vacation as “a child’s dream.” They hunted, swam, and fished in the woods around the farm. When the relatives could not contact them, they asked a neighbor to go away to check that everything was fine, he writes Washington Post.

Two shots at the funeral

But the grandfather and four grandchildren were found murdered inside the house.

There should have been no contact between the family and Lopez before.

“For some reason he met them that day,” Besner told the newspaper.