Saying that "what happened to George Floyd is a horrific act of police brutality," Gov. Greg Abbott echoed other leaders throughout the state saying that the violence and vandalism that has accompanied some protests about his death are "overshadowing Floyd's death rather than shining a light on the injustice that occurred."

Abbott was flanked at his press conference by mayors from the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth where there have been some clashes and confrontations between police and marchers.

Some of the violence coming into Texas is from outsiders crossing state lines and hijacking peaceful protests to loot and commit other crimes, he said.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the press conference was the news that the Texas Department of Public Safety has embedded some agents among the marchers. DPS Director Steve McCraw said this was being done to try to identify criminals who are joining the marches for their own purposes.