Cause of Gonzalo Artemio Lopez Death?

Law enforcement in Atascosa County, south of San Antonio, shot and killed Gonzalo Lopez around 10:30 p.m. Thursday, according to Jason Clark, TDCJ’s chief of staff.

As a result, authorities began to follow a Chevrolet Silverado that looked like it had been taken from a residence near Centerville where the family that Lopez is accused of murdering had been staying at the time.

Clark reported that police deployed spike strips to immobilize Lopez’s pickup truck, and he smashed into a tree.

He got out and opened fire on responding police officers, although Clark insisted that he hadn’t hit anyone. Clark stated that Lopez was armed with an AR-15 rifle and a pistol.

Jourdanton, a community of roughly 3,800 people, is where Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward says Lopez was stopped on Highway 16 north and Cypress Street on Monday night.

Clark reported that Lopez was shot and murdered by police in a residential neighborhood. When Lopez fled the prison bus between Gatesville and Huntsville, he was serving a life sentence for capital murder.

Prior to the shootout, Clark told reporters at a 10 p.m. press conference that Lopez had been hiding out in Leon County’s wild areas and had just entered the house to grab some water and fresh clothes.

Lopez is suspected of stealing the firearms used in the gunfight from the scene as well as the car.