Who is Gonzalo Artemio Lopez and Why did He Kill 5 People?

Last night, a convicted murderer who was on the run from jail for more than two weeks ended up being shot dead in a gunfight with law enforcement just hours after becoming the lead suspect in the deaths of five people at an apartment complex, authorities said.

At least four youngsters’ bodies and the body of an adult were found on Thursday in a house close to where Gonzalo Artemio Lopez, an ex-convict, had escaped in May.

The police reported he had taken a white Chevy Silverado from the house and driven away.

According to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice chief of staff Jason Clark, authorities in Jourdanton, Texas, saw Mr. Lopez, 46, driving the missing vehicle late on Thursday night and immobilized it by placing spike strips on the road.

South of San Antonio, Jourdanton is around 200 miles from where Mr. Lopez had escaped.

During a short chase, Mr. Lopez crashed into a tree and opened fire on the cops, who returned fire and killed him, Mr. Clark said. Although Mr. Lopez had an AR-15 rifle and a pistol, none of the cops were hit by his shots, according to the report.

During a press conference, Clark said that the killings of five persons most likely occurred on Thursday afternoon and that the house was located within a perimeter where law police had been hunting for Mr. Lopez since his escape.