Escaped inmate dies in shootout: 'He exited his truck, fired additional rounds, at least four officers returned fire'

The three-week search for escaped convicted murderer Gonzalo Lopez ended on Thursday night (June 2) with his death in a shootout with law enforcement officials, according to reports from Houston-based media outlets.

The 46-year-old Lopez was on the run after freeing himself from a Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) bus on May 12 while it was passing through Leon County, which is about 120 miles north of Houston.

Houston ABC affiliate KTRK reported that authorities tracked Lopez down to Atascosa County just outside of San Antonio where he led officers on a short chase before the fatal shootout.

"He went down there and struck a telephone pole," Atascosa County Sheriff David Soward said, KTRK reported. "Bounced off and went down and crashed into a telephone pole and a fence. He exited his truck, fired additional rounds, at least four officers returned fire."

According to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, authorities suspected that Lopez killed a Houston-area family of five at a getaway house in Centerville.

Authorities believed that he then stole the family's 1999 white Chevy Silverado, which would be later seen in South Texas, the station reported.

Houston CBS affiliate KHOU reported that Lopez was serving two consecutive life sentences for shooting at a Webb County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) deputy in 2004 and hacking a man to death in Hidalgo County over a drug debt.

The station reported that he has evaded authorities before. In 2004, he eluded authorities in South Texas and hid with assistance from a cartel associate, per KHOU.