Seven escaped convicts still believed to be in Dallas, Texas, area

The search for seven escaped felons continues in Texas

In this story: 'Everybody's so paranoid' Escapees heavily armed Murder, rape, robbery, assault RELATED STORIES, SITES

IRVING, Texas (CNN) -- Seven escaped convicts suspected in the Christmas Eve shooting death of an Irving, Texas, police officer are still believed to be in the Dallas area, Irving Police Chief Lowell Cannaday told CNN on Tuesday.

The seven men have eluded authorities since their escape from the Connaly Unit maximum-security state prison near Kenedy, Texas, three weeks ago. The escapees left a note warning: "You haven't heard the last of us."

"The leads have been awfully skimpy and nothing has panned out yet," Cannaday told CNN. A $100,000 reward has been offered for information leading to the capture of the escapees.

Another law enforcement officer said emotions were running high. "Everybody's so paranoid. The tension is really, really thick," said Dallas County Sheriff's Investigator Don Peritz Jr. "Hey, we're not resting until these guys are caught. Any call could be the call."

Cannaday said he believes the men are all still together, which he said was "most unusual."

"Staying together and collecting guns and money the way that they have, we're just assuming that they have something else in mind," Cannaday said.

Officer Aubrey Hawkins, 29, was shot Christmas Eve when he and several other officers responded to a call from an employee at a sporting goods store.

Cannaday said Hawkins entered the rear of the building and apparently confronted the departing suspects, identified by an eyewitness as the seven convicts who escaped on December 13.

The escapees include two men who were serving time for murder convictions.

During their escape, the fugitives stole a number of weapons from the prison guard tower, prison officials said.

The escaped convicts were identified as Joseph Garcia, 29, who was serving 50 years for murder in San Antonio; Randy Halprin, 23, who was serving 30 years for child abuse in Fort Worth; Larry Harper, 37, who was serving 50 years for aggravated sexual assault after raping three women in 1993 and 1994 in El Paso; Patrick Murphy Jr., 39, who was serving 50 years for aggravated sexual assault with a deadly weapon and burglary in Dallas; Donald Newbury, 38, who was serving 99 years for aggravated robbery at an Austin hotel in 1997; George Rivas, 30, who was serving 99 years for aggravated kidnapping and burglary in El Paso; and Michael Rodriguez, 38, who was serving a life prison term for capital murder in San Antonio after being convicted of paying another man $2,000 to kill his wife so that he could collect $150,000 in life insurance.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Texas Department of Criminal Justice

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