The details of the mass shooting near Houston, Texas on Friday are harrowing. The suspect entered the home with an AR-15, allegedly intoxicated, intent on gunning down an entire family in revenge for them asking him to be quieter late at night. Two of the five dead were women who were found laying on top of living children, having died to shield them from harm. One of the dead was a child. The natural, human response is abject horror and sympathy for these innocent victims, who were just trying to live their lives and raise their children in peace.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, however, has erased his own humanity in his ongoing bid to be a prominent leader in MAGA America. So he responded to the shooting by demonizing the victims, calling them "illegal immigrants" in his tweet about the crime. This bit of casual cruelty came packaged with an expensive fig leaf: A $50,000 reward to anyone who shares information leading to the suspect's capture. No doubt Abbott hoped propping that cash up would deflect attention from his racist pandering.
