White House uses Texas 'execution style' murders to push gun control — but omits key detail that derails narrative

The White House omitted a key detail on Monday as officials used a Texas shooting that left five people dead over the weekend, having been shot "execution style," to push for more gun control.

Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre began the press briefing on Monday by noting the victims were murdered "by an individual armed with a powerful AR-15-style rifle" and said President Joe Biden "was briefed on the shooting on Saturday morning, and he and the first lady are praying for those killed in the attack."

That's when things turned political.

"But," she added, "the president believes prayers alone are not enough. Congress must act because what makes tragedies like this one all the more heart-wrenching is the fact that it is entirely within our power to take these weapons of war off our streets."

"The majority of Americans and the majority of gun owners support commonsense measures to reduce gun violence," she continued. "The president continues to believe that Congress must act without delay. It's not too late to save lives and prevent the next mass shooting."

05/01/23: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierrewww.youtube.com

Noticeably absent from Jean-Pierre's remarks was any mention of key details about the suspected perpetrator.

The suspect, Francisco Oropesa Perez-Torres, is a Mexican national who has a history of deportation and was allegedly in the U.S. illegally at the time of the murders. This means he was already legally prohibited from possessing a firearm.

It's not clear, then, how Congress could have acted to prevent the tragedy, as Jean-Pierre claimed the president believes. Lawmakers have already outlawed firearm possession by immigrants who are in the U.S. illegally. On that front, law enforcement have not said how the suspect obtained the firearm used in the massacre.

Hundreds of law enforcement personnel are working to track down the suspected killer, whom police consider armed and dangerous. Unfortuately, the FBI said it has "zero leads" as to his whereabouts.

There is fear that he returned to Mexico.

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