5 slain in Texas neighborhood identified; suspect charged

McGREGOR, Texas (AP) — Officials have disclosed the identities of five people killed in a Central Texas neighborhood, as well as the suspect in the slayings.

The Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday that Nicolas Jaimes-Hernandez, 35, of Mexico, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. More charges are pending.

He was shot and wounded Thursday in a gunfight with officers at the scene where five people were found shot dead, officials said. He was treated at a hospital before being booked into the McLennan County Jail without bond.

The five bodies were found at two houses in McGregor, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) southwest of Waco. The DPS identified them as Monica Delgado, 38, Miguel Avila, 15, and Natallie Avila, 14, along with next-door neighbors Lorena Aviles, 47, and her daughter, Natalie Aviles, 20.

Esme Ortuno, Delgado’s cousin, said that Jaimes-Hernandez was Delgado’s husband and stepfather of the two slain children. Renee Flores, sister of Lorena Aviles, said her sister and niece were innocent bystanders.

The Texas Rangers were leading the investigation. No motive for the shootings has been released.