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Convicted Murderer Who Escaped Prison Dies In Shootout With Police. Authorities Say He Killed Family Of Five

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Brianna Lyman News and Commentary Writer
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Texas authorities announced Thursday that a convicted murderer who escaped prison in May and later allegedly killed a family of five died in a shootout with police.

The Leon County Sheriff’s office announced Thursday night that Gonzalo Lopez was “captured and deceased” shortly after authorities pinned him as the prime suspect in the deaths of five family members at a nearby home.

Authorities found the family deceased in a home earlier Thursday, according to CNN. The unidentified family was visiting the residence as a “weekend” spot when Lopez, who authorities believe did not know the family, allegedly broke into the home and killed them before stealing a vehicle, the outlet reported.

Police had already been searching for Lopez, who had escaped from police in mid-May after he managed to get out of the caged area of the prison bus he was traveling on, CNN reported. The home was within the area that police were looking for Lopez.

Lopez then fled the scene in the stolen truck, but a spike strip disabled the car, authorities said, according to CNN. He reportedly crashed the vehicle before engaging in a shootout with police.

“He fired several rounds at officers and was armed with an AR-15 and a pistol,” Jason Clark of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said Thursday, according to CNN.

Authorities fatally shot Lopez. (RELATED: Suspect Charged In ‘Cold-Hearted’ Murder Nearly 40 Years Later)

Lopez was listed as one of the state’s 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, and authorities had offered $50,000 for any information leading to his arrest. He had previously been convicted of two counts of aggravated assault and was sentenced to eight years in prison in 1996, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. He was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping in 2006 and sentenced to life in prison before receiving a second life sentence after he was convicted of attempted capital murder in 2007.