Gov. Abbott Faces Backlash as Search for Mass Gunman Drags On

Authorities on Monday still had not captured a gunman in Texas who killed five neighbors, and as the search dragged into a third day with false alarms and few apparent leads, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott faced backlash over drawing attention to the victims' immigration status.

An FBI agent on the scene near Houston acknowledged they have little to go on in the widening manhunt for 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza, who has been deported four times since 2009, but who neighbors say lived on their street for years prior to Friday night's shooting.

Abbott offered a $50,000 reward over the weekend for any tips that might lead to Oropeza, and while doing so, the three-term governor described on Twitter all the victims as "illegal immigrants" - a potentially false statement that his office walked back and apologized for Monday. Critics accused Abbott, who has made hardline immigration measures a signature issue in Texas, of putting politics into the shooting.

KPRC in Houston reported that at least one of the victims was a permanent legal resident, despite the governor's claim.

"We've since learned that at least one of the victims may have been in the United States legally," Abbott spokeswoman Renae Eze said in a statement. "We regret if the information was incorrect and detracted from the important goal of finding and arresting the criminal. The true focus remains on catching this heinous criminal who killed five innocent people and bringing the full weight of Texas law against him."

Eze said information provided by federal officials after the shooting had indicated that the suspect and victims were in the country illegally. Her statement did not address why Abbott mentioned their status in his original statement and she did not immediately respond to questions about the criticism.

Law enforcement on the scene has not confirmed the citizenship status of the victims, all of whom were from Honduras. By describing them as "illegal immigrants" on Sunday in his first public statement about the shooting - and perhaps incorrectly - Abbott came under criticism from immigrant rights groups and Democrats.

"It is indefensible to any right-hearted Texan to use divisive language to smear innocent victims," said Domingo Garcia, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.

"LULAC firmly believes that every human being, regardless of their immigration status, deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," says Rodolfo Rosales Jr., Texas LULAC state director. "We advocate for comprehensive immigration reform that addresses the issue's complexities while upholding the fundamental values of compassion, justice, and fairness. Gov. Abbott should apologize immediately for his callousness."

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center also criticized Abbott on Twitter for "using social media to amplify language painting a specific narrative intended to alter the way you view + treat the people around you."

"When we read things like that statement from Abbott and his social media team we are confronted with a choice," ILRC tweeted. "Do we want to live in a world where people are not granted their dignity and humanity even in the face of unimaginable tragedy? Or do we want — this? 'May their surviving family find peace and healing moving forward — we stand with Texans as they mourn this tragedy.'"

The victims were identified as Diana Velazquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 9.

DRAGNET WIDENS FOR SUSPECT IN EXECUTION-STYLE SHOOTING THAT LEFT 5 DEAD

More than 250 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies, including the U.S. Marshals, are now part of a growing search that has come up empty despite additional manpower, scent-tracking dogs and a total of $80,000 in reward money on the table.

On Monday, a heavy presence of police converged in an area where the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office reported a possible sighting but later said none of the persons were found to be Oropeza. It was one of the first times since the shooting that authorities had announced a possible sighting of Oropeza.

"I can tell you right now, we have zero leads," James Smith, the FBI special agent in charge, said Sunday.

Oropeza is considered armed and dangerous after fleeing the area Friday night, likely on foot. San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said authorities had widened the search area beyond the scene of the shooting, which occurred after the suspect's neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard late at night because a baby was trying to sleep.

At a Sunday vigil in Cleveland, Wilson Garcia, the father of the 1-month-old, described the terrifying efforts inside his home by friends and family that night to escape, hide and shield themselves and children after Oropeza walked up to the home and began firing, killing his wife first at the front door.

Police recovered the AR-15-style rifle that they said Oropeza used in the shootings. Authorities were not sure if Oropeza was carrying another weapon after others were found in his home.

The alleged shooter is a Mexican national who has been deported four times, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because public disclosure was not authorized.

The official said the gunman was first deported in March 2009 and last in July 2016. He was also deported in September 2009 and January 2012.

Capers said he hoped the reward money would motivate people to provide information and that there were plans to put up billboards in Spanish to spread the word.

Veronica Pineda, 34, who lives across the street from the suspect's home, said authorities had stopped by her house over the weekend to ask if they could search her property to see if the gunman might be hiding there. She said she was fearful that the gunman had not yet been captured.

Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Texas Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-252-TIPS (800-252-8477).