SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Texas Governor Greg Abbott joined hundreds of San Antonio residents and grieving families on Sunday to raise awareness about the deadly threat of fentanyl poisoning, declaring the synthetic opioid a “murder type drug” and crediting Angel Moms with driving policy reforms that now classify fentanyl deaths as homicides. The event, organized by Soles Walking 4 Souls, featured memorials, Narcan distribution, and a renewed call for accountability as Texas marks October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month.
Abbott kicked off the annual event organized by Soles Walking 4 Souls, an awareness group founded by Angel Moms whose children were victims of fentanyl poisoning.
In a sign of the importance of fentanyl awareness, Abbott spoke on Sunday afternoon, telling the crowd of Alamo city residents how vital the angel moms of Soles Walking 4 Souls have been as advocates for change within the state, saying, “With the education from the angel moms, fentanyl is not an overdose, it is a murder type drug.”
“We redefined the death certificate not as an overdose but rather fentanyl poisoning, which leads to the charge of murder for anyone who provides fentanyl to someone who dies from it,” the governor said.
Abbott was joined on stage by San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones, Chief of Police William P. McManus, Bexar County Judge Peter Sackai, and Department of Public Safety Highway Patrol Lieutenant Chris Olivarez.
The event included a memorial display as a tribute to honor lives lost to fentanyl and other illicit drugs, presented by the Montgomery County, Texas, Overdose Prevention Endeavor (M-COPE), and several resource booths that provided Narcan distribution, fentanyl test strip education, mental health support, and information about local recovery resources.
The annual walk celebration to bring awareness to the dangers of fentanyl included live music and food booths for those who attended Sunday’s event.
During his address to Sunday’s walk participants, Abbott credited the angel moms organizing the event in his proclamation last week, designating the month of October as Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness Month. The governor has participated in the annual event since its inception and initiated a fentanyl awareness campaign in the state, known as “One Pill Kills,” in 2020.
Abbott emphasized the importance of the fentanyl awareness campaign and proclamation, saying:
Across Texas and the United States, people unknowingly make a deadly decision by taking pills laced with fentanyl and lose their lives as a result. This year, President Donald J. Trump signed the HALT Fentanyl Act into law, marking a major turning point in the nation’s response to the fentanyl epidemic. The Act made the temporary class-wide scheduling order for fentanyl-related substances permanent, helping law enforcement keep these extremely lethal and dangerous drugs off our streets.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the deadly synthetic opioid claimed the lives of 1,231 Texans between July 2024 and June 2025, a reduction from the 2,151 fentanyl-related deaths reported in Texas during the previous 12-month period. The more than 40 percent reduction in fentanyl deaths may be a sign that awareness events like Sunday’s Soles Walking 4 Souls may be having an impact on the number of people lost to the deadly drug within the state.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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