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'This is despicable': Texas governor Greg Abbott slammed for denigrating Francisco Oropesa's shooting victims as 'illegal immigrants'

Greg Abbott tweeted, 'I've announced a $50K reward for info on the criminal who killed 5 illegal immigrants Friday'

AUSTIN, TEXAS: Texas Governor Greg Abbott significantly worsened the tragic Texas shooting that occurred on Saturday, April 29, which claimed the lives of five people. Abbott delivered a tone-deaf judgment of the shooting's victims and suspect on Sunday, April 30, which has infuriated a lot of people online.

In a statement on Sunday, April 30, Abbott referred to the victims of his state's most recent high-profile massacre as "illegal immigrants." Additionally, he described Francisco Oropesa, the alleged gunman in the case, as someone "who is in the country illegally" as he announced a reward for information leading to his capture. Oropesa, 38, reportedly shot five people to death, including an eight-year-old boy, after being told to stop firing his weapon in his front yard.

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'I've announced a $50K reward for info on the criminal'

Abbott tweeted the statement along with the announcement that read, "I've announced a $50K reward for info on the criminal who killed 5 illegal immigrants Friday. Our hearts go out to the families and loved ones of the five victims that were taken in this senseless act of violence."

Abbott added, "I continue working with state and local officials to ensure they have all available resources to respond to this horrific crimes. I thank the men and women in law enforcement who are tirelessly working to ensure this criminal is caught and brought to justice."

'This is despicable'

The 'Star Trek' star George Takei, who has previously advocated for gun regulation, was among those who immediately criticized the governor for his statement. "This is despicable. I would have thought bringing up the immigration status of the innocent victims of this senseless violence would be beneath even you. But I was wrong," Takei wrote. Another person who questioned Abbott's word choice wrote, "What does their immigration status have to do with anything?" A third person wrote, "I see Greg never misses an opportunity to gain political points - even during the worst of tragedies." One person wrote, "Mildly condemning and flagrantly justifying in the same sentence. Disgusting." A fourth person wrote, "Damn Texas National Guardsmen just screamed after reading this. They were at the border doing nothing for 18 months." "Seriously?! You're going to gaslight the victims by calling them illegal, and evading your own complicity in creating this gun violence mess. You said less than a year ago 'it could've been a lot worse', and boy are you proving it," this other individual wrote.

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