Texas Manhunt, First Republic, and America's Lawn Wars

Texas Shooter Search Continues

Five people—including an 8-year-old boy—were shot and killed late Friday night by a neighbor in the town of Cleveland, Texas, 45 miles north of Houston. The alleged assailant, 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, is still at large and likely armed and dangerous.

Around 11 pm Friday, Wilson Garcia—the homeowner where the attack took place who lost his wife and son—asked his neighbor to stop shooting a rifle in his yard because his infant was sleeping; the shooter refused. A front-door cam recorded the neighbor entering the house where he then opened fire. Two women were found dead, shielding three children, who were not shot and survived. The victims and survivors were all Honduran immigrants, several of whom had just arrived from Houston.

Witnesses claim the shooter, who is a Mexican national, was drinking at the time of the incident; it wasn't clear if his weapons were acquired legally. It's the 18th US shooting this year where four or more people were killed other than the perpetrator; see the database here.

Crimean Explosion

A massive fire erupted at an oil depot on the Crimean Peninsula over the weekend, an incident Russian officials blamed on a pair of armed drones launched by Ukrainian forces. It would mark one of the most aggressive acts of force by Ukraine in the region since Russia annexed it in 2014 (see map). 

The incident comes as reports suggest Ukraine is preparing for a spring counteroffensive—a much-anticipated escalation in the conflict that would potentially come after a winter in which both sides largely held their territory. Separate reports suggest Russian forces have fortified their positions along the eastern front (see breakdown). 

More than 350,000 troops have been killed in the fighting to date. See an update on the war here. 

Sudan Evacuation

The US successfully evacuated hundreds of private American citizens living in Sudan over the weekend as the dueling factions intensified fighting in the country's capital of Khartoum. It marked the first mass evacuation effort by the US for nongovernmental citizens in the country. According to reports, armed drones escorted a fleet of buses carrying evacuees for more than 500 miles to safety.

While estimates vary, confirmed civilian deaths from the conflict have surpassed 400, with more than 2,000 others injured. Fighting began in mid-April when two former allies—de facto leader Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and opposition leader Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo—disagreed over power-sharing agreements. Analysts have noted the fighting is the latest departure from the civilian-led pro-democracy uprising in 2019 that ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir. 

Among other casualties, American doctor Bushra Ibnauf Sulieman was killed amid the fighting. Read his story here. 

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