Texas Mass Shooter Taken Into Custody ... After Killing 5 Neighbors Execution Style

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UPDATE

5:42 AM PT -- San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers held a press conference Tuesday night and provided new information on the arrest of Francisco Oropeza. Capers said police found Oropeza cowering under a pile of laundry in a closet after the FBI got a tip on his whereabouts. Oropeza was hiding out inside a home allegedly tied to one of his relatives in Conroe, TX, -- just miles from the scene of the massacre.

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UPDATE

Videos have surfaced online, which show investigators escorting Oropeza in handcuffs away from the house. In another clip, a shirtless Oropeza can be seen in the passenger seat of a police SUV as several cops keep their eyes on him. Oropeza's wife has also been arrested.

The man accused of shooting five of his neighbors "execution-style" in Texas has been apprehended after a nationwide manhunt.

Senior law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Francisco Oropeza was taken into custody Tuesday by law enforcement.

Remember ... Oropeza is accused of shooting his neighbors Friday night in Cleveland, Texas after they complained about him firing off rounds for target practice on his property.

Oropeza's alleged rampage killed 5 people in the home next to his ... including an 8-year-old child. Cops say he was intoxicated on alcohol and/or drugs and used an AR-15-style rifle in the slayings.

Police say Oropeza was shooting his rifle in his yard late Friday night when his neighbors walked up to the fence dividing their properties and asked him to stop shooting his gun because their baby was trying to sleep.

Cops say Oropez grew annoyed, telling his neighbors ... "I'll do what I want to in my front yard." Police say he then marched over to the neighbor's house, went inside and started shooting.

There were at least 10 people inside the home when Oropeza opened fire, police said, and most were killed at super close range and from the neck up.

Oropeza was reportedly caught on a Ring doorbell camera entering the home ... and 3 kids were discovered without physical injuries inside the house. They were found drenched in blood in what was sure to be a traumatic experience. The women who were killed were using their bodies to shield the kids.

A Texas judge issued an arrest warrant for Oropeza after the shootings, and he went on the run. Investigators thought he may have fled the country, and the FBI joined police in a manhunt.

The firearm Oropeza allegedly used in the deadly rampage has since been recovered ... along with some of his clothes and his cell phone.

Story developing ...

A$AP Rocky Sorry for Shoving in Met Gala Madness ... Leap-Frogged Female Fan

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A$AP Rocky is apologizing to the woman he leaned heavily on, for just a moment, so he could cut through a huge NYC crowd and get to the Met Gala.

The wild scene went down Monday evening outside NYC's Carlyle Hotel where Rocky pushed through a flood of fans and autograph seekers who didn't recognize the Harlem rap star at first ... until he leaped over the barrier.

But, in order to make it over, he used a woman's shoulder to get a boost.

She was later identified as Long Island native Madelyn Llanes and in an interview she admitted to initially refusing Rocky's request for passage because she was standing at the barricade, which was the end of the road as far as she was concerned.

Obviously, Rocky found a detour and the rest of the story is unforgettable fan history for her!!!

As we previously reported, Rocky and Rihanna were more than 2 hours late to the Met Gala but still maximized the moonlight ... partying all the way to dawn and then some.

They hit the after-party circuit and shut down a diner afterward and Rocky still found time to say sorry. What a true gent!!!

Chance The Rapper 'Acid Rap' Days Could've Killed Me ... I Did Too Many Drugs!!!

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Chance the Rapper is thankful he cleaned up his act following his 2013 breakout project, "Acid Rap" -- he swears his drug-binging days while making that music would've eventually killed him.

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The Chicago rap star made the sobering admission while basking in the LP's 10-year anniversary with Complex.

According to Chance, he earned enough money from his first headlining tour to rent a house outside of his parents' supervision ... and went buck wild with the drugs.

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Chance thanks a spiritual intervention for pulling him out of the substance abuse splurge and noted how his legacy would have just been limited to an acid user had he succumbed.

His story sounds eerily similar to that of Mac Miller, who died in 2018 following a drug overdose in the Los Angeles house where he'd been holed up.

The sounds of "Acid Rap" are set to have their biggest stage yet, come August 19 at Chicago's United Center for its 10th-anniversary concert.

The show is coheadlined by "Acid Rap" collaborator Saba ... which opens the door for other hometown featured artists Vic Mensa, BJ The Chicago Kid and Twista to make appearances all the same.

Detoxing his life for the better is apparently something Chance has become a pro at doing. TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... he and his wife are all good following the super viral video of a woman twerking on him in Jamaica.

Will Levis' GF Congratulates QB On Getting Drafted 'Nashville Here We Come!!!'

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It might have taken a day longer than expected, but Will Levis' girlfriend is just as excited for her man's NFL future ... congratulating the quarterback with a mushy love note after getting drafted by the Tennessee Titans!!

"Let the adventure begin," Gia Duddy said on Monday. "Nashville here we come!!"

Of course, Duddy became a star in her own right after the draft on Thursday ... with many football fans gushing over her appearance as she patiently waited for Levis' name to get called.

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Now, it's time for Levis to pack up and move to the Volunteer State ... and it sounds like Gia's going to be along for the ride.

"It’s hard to put in words what it’s like watching your best friend’s dreams come true," Duddy added. "Proud would be an understatement -- I don’t know anyone more deserving. Time to get back to work @will_levis. TITAN UP❤️‍🔥🤠💙"

The QB elected to not return to the venue for Day 2 of the draft ... but it looked just as fun at home, with Levis popping a bottle of champagne and donning his new team's merch.

Levis hit the comments section to show love to Duddy as well ... saying, "Love you 💙 new chapter starts now."

Congrats to Will -- for everything.

Los Angeles Philharmonic Orgasmic Performance of Tchaikovsky's Fifth!!!

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A woman got so turned on by a performance from the Los Angeles Philharmonic that she had a "loud and full body orgasm" right there in her seat ... at least according to a new report.

The L.A. Times reported what went down during Friday's X-rated show! The concertgoer was watching the Philharmonic crank out Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, when she apparently became sexually aroused.

One witness seated near the woman told The Times ..."I saw the girl after it had happened, and I assume that she ... had an orgasm because she was heavily breathing, and her partner was smiling and looking at her — like in an effort to not shame her. It was quite beautiful.”

Another attendee tweeted the woman was having a “loud and full body orgasm" to the sounds of the music, and the band carried on.

A third person said the woman's apparent moment of pleasure was “wonderfully timed” to a “romantic swell” in the melodies. He added, “One can’t know exactly what happened, but it seemed very clear from the sound that it was an expression of pure physical joy."

More evidence of the climactic moment surfaced online in an audio clip. You hear someone in the throes of a loud orgasm as the symphony plays the 5th's second movement.

But, one concertgoer poured cold water on the orgasm theory. The witness took to Twitter, claiming that the woman had a "breakdown of some sort" and everyone in the packed crowd was "worried it was a medical emergency."

The Times was unable to ID or locate the woman in question to get her side of the story and the L.A. Philharmonic has yet to comment on the incident.

Stay tuned ...

Josh Peck Jennette McCurdy 'Owes Us' on Pod ... We Nixed Her Episode!!!

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Jennette McCurdy owes Josh Peck and his podcast partner for scrapping their debut episode at her request -- so says Josh Peck ... who's now catching flak over this.

The ex-Nickelodeon child star is trending this weekend over an episode of his pod, 'Good Guys,' that aired earlier this month ... which the internet is just learning about right now. The reason he's getting dragged -- JP, according to some, comes across as a bit of a jerk.

Here's the context ... Josh and his right-hand man, Ben Soffer, are talking to Tana Mongeau -- who brings up Jennette's memoir from last year, in which she addresses some childhood trauma she went through at the hands of her family and Nickelodeon execs back in the day.

Tana praises Jennette for speaking her truth -- something Josh/Ben say they also tried to do by having her on as their first guest in August ... in an episode that was never released.

Josh and Ben are giving themselves pats on the back for being "good guys" and nixing the episode after Jennette apparently asked them to (unclear why). However, after some time passed, Josh says he reached out to her again in hopes of getting her back on for a redo.

He says it seemed like she'd inexplicably blocked him -- after which, he says he felt like a little quid pro quo was in order since they did her a solid. Twitter doesn't agree, though.

You can go through the "Josh Peck" trend for yourself to see how people are tearing into the guy -- but bottom line ... they feel like he sounds entitled and completely insensitive here.

Jennette doesn't appear to have commented about Josh or his podcast in recent months.

Ariana Madix, Lisa Vanderpump From White Hot Scandal to White House Shindig!!!

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Ariana Madix took her road show to D.C. Saturday night ... and she had to get a boatload of satisfaction when someone hurled a joke into the crowd ... comparing her ex to Tucker Carlson!!!

Ariana and boss woman Lisa Vanderpump were invited guests of DailyMail.com at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. M.C. Roy Wood Jr. dropped the comparison in the middle of his roast ... "The untouchable Tucker Carlson is out of a job… but to Tucker’s staff, I want you to know that I know what you’re feeling. I work at The Daily Show, so I too have been blindsided by the sudden departure of the host of a fake news program. Tucker got caught up. Got caught up like that dude from Vanderpump Rules."

Of course, Roy was referring to the Scandoval ... specifically Tom Sandoval.

Ariana's been on a world tour lately ... doing karaoke in Europe and getting tight with a dude at Coachella. She's movin' on ... so where's that reunion show!

Prez Biden tried his hand at roasting during the shindig ... some of the jokes were pretty funny -- the delivery, well ...

Conor McGregor Faces Off with Mike Perry ... At Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship!!!

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TALKING SMACK

Conor McGregor stole the show Saturday night at the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship ... and the spirits clearly moved him.

Conor was on hand to watch Mike Perry defeat Luke Rockhold, who threw in the towel after his teeth got messed up in the brawl.

Conor, who was sipping, then swigging, his Proper No. Twelve Irish Whiskey, toasted the crowd at the 1stBank Center and the crowd ate it up.

But McGregor wasn't done ... Perry invited him into the ring and they faked a face-off. That's when the Irish champ grabbed Perry's BKFC belt ... a move that would ordinarily have triggered another fight, except this one was for s**** and giggles. They stared each other down, WWE style, and that was that.

As for Conor ... he's been sidelined with an injury for 2 years, but he's expected to fight Michael Chandler soon.

JoJo We Can't Stop AI Music ... Might As Well Embrace It!!!

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JoJo isn't as concerned as the rest of the music industry when it comes to AI-generated tracks, saying folks should learn how to use the technology as an advantage ... cuz it's not going anywhere.

We caught up with the singer in NYC Wednesday where she spilled her thoughts on the uptick of robots in music ... which has taken the internet by storm as of late.

JoJo says the concept is actually pretty interesting, and could have some benefits to be used in the studio for harmonies and backgrounds. As far as JoJo is concerned, there's no stopping AI tunes, so people should figure out how to use 'em.

Of course, not all artists see it like JoJo. Drake's label ripped the idea after multiple AI-generated Drizzy tunes began trending. Before that, Universal Music Group had to remove an AI song featuring Drake and The Weeknd.

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ARTIFICIALLY OUT!!!

Other artists like Khalid agree the technology is inevitable, but unlike JoJo, he's not a fan.

One thing JoJo's not so sure about when it comes to AI music is what role they may play on new artists and royalties in the future ... certainly something that might be too early to tell.

Barstow PD Cop Beats Unarmed Black Man ... With Baton During Arrest

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A Southern California police officer beat an unarmed Black man with a baton during an arrest -- which has echoes of Rodney King ... but cops say this guy instigated it.

Check out this video, obtained by TMZ, which shows an older gentleman retreating with his hands up while being pursued by a Barstow PD officer Friday afternoon in the desert community. The cop has his baton raised as he inches closer, and eventually swings on him.

You can see the officer appear to give an order -- which looks like he might've been saying get on the ground -- before manhandling the older guy and subduing him. However, as the photog who took this noted, the cop starts to wail on the dude even after he's down.

He gets about 4 good swings on him before other officers arrive to the scene and help contain the situation. The man is then handcuffed and led over to EMTs, who briefly check him ... and he's then led to a police cruiser and taken away. The man can be seen limping.

Barstow PD tells TMZ the man who took the beating is 43-year-old Gary Christian -- whom they say was wanted on an open felony warrant for a probation violation ... and who this officer recognized on Main Street. BPD says the officer attempted to make contact and place Christian under arrest, but claim Christian assaulted the officer not once ... but twice.

BPD says the officer deployed his taser unsuccessfully, at which point ... the baton came out. They say Christian was treated at a hospital for minor contusions to his leg ... and was then booked into the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept. High Desert Detention Center.

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THE BEATING

Barstow PD also says this ... "The department has a copy of that video and would like the community to know that a comprehensive administrative investigation will be conducted into this incident to determine if the force used by the officer was within Barstow Police Department policy and current law." In other words, they'll look into this internally.

Of course, the comparison to the beating Rodney King received in the '90s will undoubtedly be made. That incident led to destructive riots in and around Los Angeles -- and ultimately came to affect lots of other LA-based events in the years that followed.

The more concerning part about this, though, is that Barstow PD had another race-related police incident a few years ago ... when their officers shot and killed an unarmed Black in a parking lot as they felt an apparent threat. His name was Diante Yarber, a 26-year-old.

His family said the killing was unjustified ... but after a review by the authorities, they found the officers had a reasonable belief that their lives were in danger, and that deadly force was warranted. They fired around 30 bullets at his parked car, which was in a Walmart lot.

Considering the history in that town already, something tells us the community isn't going to take this latest incident very well. Fact is, it certainly looks to be excessive force on its face.

Time will tell if Barstow PD releases more footage to back up their account.

Florida Principal Forced to Resign Over David Statue ... Pays the Big Guy a Visit!!!

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An ex-principal -- who was forced to resign after her school showed off the naked David statue to students -- made the trek to Italy ... and was welcomed with open arms.

Hope Carrasquilla paid a visit to the famed Accademia Gallery museum in Florence Friday with her family in tow -- this after the city's mayor had invited her to come see David for herself following her unceremonious ousting last month ... which he called outrageous.

Cecilie Hollberg -- Accademia's director -- gave Carrasquilla and her brood a VIP tour of the place ... which, of course, included an up-close view of Michelangelo's iconic artwork.

She said hosting them was a pleasure, adding ... "I am happy to be able to welcome her and introduce her to the beauties of our museum, besides showing her the David, a sculpture that, I repeat as I have said, has nothing to do with pornography. It's a masterpiece, it represents a religious symbol of purity and innocence, the victory of good over evil."

Carrasquilla also met with Mayor Dario Nardella ... who spoke out on her situation in March, when she got the boot from Tallahassee Classical School. Nardella rolled out the red carpet for her, it seems, and again defended her amid the controversy.

He writes, "A few weeks ago she was attacked for showing her students Michelangelo's David. Today it receives from @comunefi an award in the name of art and culture. Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect. Welcome Professor Hope Carrasquilla!"

If you hadn't heard ... Carrasquilla stepped down after parents expressed outrage over their children being shown images of David's nude body during a lesson plan on the Renaissance in front of sixth graders. They felt it was inappropriate, and were mad they weren't given a heads-up. In the end, Carrasquilla took the fall ... telling local media she was "saddened."

It's just the latest instance of parents flexing their rights over their children's curriculum in public schools there in Florida ... which has been an ongoing issue for a few years now.

If David's off the table for learning ... ya gotta wonder what else will go. There's a lot of nudity in historical art -- especially in Michelangelo's body of work. Bye-bye, Sistine Chapel?

Fiery Disaster TikToker's Flamethrower Explodes ... Burns Over 80 Percent Of Body

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A dangerous challenge on TikTok landed a North Carolina teen in the hospital with serious burns over nearly 80 percent of his disfigured body.

Grisly photos of Mason Dark have gone viral after the 16-year-old was dared by a group of TikTokers to make a torch out of a spray paint can and a lighter.

The TT users often meet online to create mini-flamethrowers, but this time their makeshift project went awry as Dark was engulfed in flames after the can exploded.

Dark ran to a river near his Wake Forest home and dove inside to put out the flames. When he emerged from the water, he had third-degree burns over 76 percent of his body, including his face.

His mom, Holli, told Fox affiliate WRAL News, “He is unrecognizable, unrecognizable." She also said her son was rushed to a burn center, where he has already undergone skin grafts, which are surgeries that replace damaged skin with healthy skin from unaffected areas of the body. Dark is expected to stay in the hospital for at least 6 months.

Holli went on to say her son's flaming, bunched-up T-shirt was seared into his skin while he was trying to remove it at the riverbed.

She added that his physical appearance has only worsened since the accident last week, explaining, “The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different."

Dark is an active high school football player and track runner.

Michelle Obama Hits The Stage with 'The Boss' ... Background Vocals for Springsteen!!!

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MICHELLE ON THE MIC

Add Bruce Springsteen backup singer to Michelle Obama's list of milestones completed ... cuz she just hit the stage with The Boss overseas during one of his shows.

Check out the video, taken Friday night at Bruce's concert in Barcelona. You see Michelle and actress Kate Capshaw join Bruce's bandmate, Patti Scialfa, behind the mic to sing background on Springsteen's hit "Glory Days."

Michelle is all smiles as she belts out the tune, even jamming with a tambourine.

No sign of her hubby, former President Barack Obama, but you gotta imagine he and Kate's husband, Steven Spielberg, were watching in the wings.

As we reported ... Bruce, Barack, Michelle, Steven and Kate all grabbed dinner together in Barcelona Thursday night -- a day before the big show.

Patti appears to have been at the dinner as well, so it's possible they planned the special guest appearance over some good grub.

While most people look back at their glory days, this group's still in them!!!

Chance the Rapper Pro-Twerking On New Track ... Wife Responds: 'Grow Up'

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Chance the Rapper seemingly angered his wife by grinding for the world to see during his 30th birthday romp, but the Chicago MC feels he's in the right ... if his new lyrics are to be believed.

On Friday, Chance costarred on his Black Line Fest collaborator Vic Mensa's new music video "$WISH" and burst out the gate with the pro-twerking bars, "Make somethin' shake for me, stop playin', bitch/Fair trade, you get a purse, I get a sandwich/But that ain't fair you gеt to twerk, and that's advantageeee."

Last week, Chance went viral in Jamaica for being heavily twerked upon during Carnival '23 ... which caused a big ruckus because he's been rapping for years about being happily married.

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Just as fans thought the coals were cooling off, Chance's wife Kirsten Corley-Bennett resparked the controversy this week by posting a passage from Maya Angelou’s "Letter to My Daughter" book ... highlighting the part about people getting married but still not growing up.

It's probably best they not play "$WISH" around the house ... don't want to pick at old wounds!!!

Independent Wrestler Set Himself On Fire In Deathmatch ... Suffers Significant Burns

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Terrifying moment during an independent wrestling match last weekend ... a wrestler accidentally set himself on fire while trying to perform a stunt -- and suffered significant burns to his face and body in the process.

It all happened at XPW Wrestling's deathmatch event in Pomona, Calif. on April 22 ... when MASADA was attempting to blow a fireball at his opponent.

Video of the match -- a no-holds-barred contest where weapons are allowed -- shows MASADA grabbed a flaming torch, poured a substance in his mouth ... and then tried to blow the liquid and the ensuing flames at his counterpart.

The problem? The stunt somehow went awry ... and the fire went everywhere, swarming MASADA's entire upper body.

In footage of the match, you can see the flames engulfed the wrestler's face, chest and shoulders for several moments before they were mercifully extinguished.

Somehow, MASADA ended up finishing the contest ... but he raced to the hospital immediately afterward, and was diagnosed with first- and second-degree burns all over his body.

The 41-year-old told TMZ Sports on Friday he's still in the burn unit at a nearby medical facility recovering ... adding, "My face is healing up fast, just the rest is going to take a while."

As for what happened during the fire mishap, MASADA told us, "I've done that spot a lot when I wrestled in Japan, but it was rushed and I think being outside had something to do with it."

MASADA expects to be out of the squared circle for a bit ... but he said there are no plans to hang up his wrestling boots anytime soon despite it all.

Speedy recovery!!

Ex-UFC Star Ben Askren Wife's Not Mad At Me!!! ... Check Out Our Cute Vid!!!

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All's well in the Askren household ... despite accidentally insulting his wife in an appreciation post earlier this week, Ben Askren proved Wednesday night he ain't in the doghouse with his spouse after all!!!

The former UFC star shared a cute video of him and Amy Askren on the couch ... revealing she isn't the least bit upset at him for inadvertently calling her unattractive in a sappy tweet that he penned on Tuesday afternoon.

In the video, Ben can be heard asking Amy if she was offended ... and she responded with some sarcastic quips.

She later said in the clip that she knew what Ben's intentions were with his message, joking he's so attracted to her physically, she has to "beat" him "away with a stick."

Amy, however, did admit she could see how Ben's post was misconstrued ... and she went on to praise her defenders as "very sensitive and thoughtful."

Ben then earned a few brownie points with Amy ... 'cause after he asked her, "How do you feel about being one of the best wives ever?" she responded, "I'll take that compliment."

Men everywhere, take notes!!