Ted Cruz tried to own Beto O'Rourke but it backfired spectacularly

Earlier this month Botham Jean, a 26-year-old black man, was shot dead in his own home by police officer Amber Guyger.

Explaining herself after the shooting, which saw her arrested for manslaughter, Guyger recalled that she had accidentally wandered into Jean's house and mistaken it for her own. When he emerged she feared he was an intruder, so she retaliated against the supposed danger by firing the fatal shot.

Democrat Beto O'Rourke, currently running for office in Texas against Republican candidate Ted Cruz, responded to the news by giving an impassioned, anti-racist speech at a local church, which Cruz then shared.

‘In Beto O'Rourke's Own Words', he wrote, implying that speaking out against racially-charged police brutality is... bad?

In his speech, O'Rourke says:

How can it be — in this day and age, in this very year, in this community — that a young man, African American, in his own apartment, is shot and killed by a police officer?

And when, when we all want justice, and the facts, and the information to make an informed decision, what is released to the public? The fact that he had a small amount of marijuana in his kitchen.

How can it be just in this country? How can we continue to lose the lives of unarmed black men in the United States of America at the hands of white police officers?

That is not justice. That is not us. That can and that must change. Are you with me on this?

The crowd erupted into cheers at O'Rourke's speech, so it was more than a little bewildering to see Cruz share it with the implication that it was somehow negative. Was he saying that black men should continue to be shot dead? Or that the police officer was somehow justified in shooting Jean?

People were quick to call out Cruz, describing his tweet as a 'self-own'.

Others were just generally confused, and highlighted that the speech didn't exactly make O'Rourke look bad.

All in all, not exactly the wisest campaign move from Cruz.

More: Beto O'Rourke made a reference to The Clash in his debate with Ted Cruz and everyone loved it