Robb Elementary serves kids in the second, third, and fourth grades in Uvalde, which is roughly 85 miles west of San Antonio. Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooter was likely slain by responding law enforcement. The shooting began at 11:32 a.m.
On Tuesday, a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde County killed 19 children and two adults, making it the bloodiest school shooting in Texas history.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, told CNN that authorities had not confirmed the death of another adult.
“My heart is broken today,” Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell said while holding back tears during a press conference Tuesday evening. “We’re a small community and we need your prayers to get through this.”
Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed the shooter’s death. According to Pete Arredondo, chief of police for Uvalde CISD, the shooter acted alone.
“What happened in Uvalde is a horrific tragedy that cannot be tolerated in the state of Texas,” Abbott said.
According to White House sources, President Joe Biden has called with Abbott and offered his assistance. Biden also ordered that flags be flown at half-staff on all public property and at US embassies in commemoration of those slain.
“Tonight, I ask the nation to pray for them. Give the parents and siblings the strength in the darkness they feel right now,” Biden said at a press briefing Tuesday evening.
Biden also repeated his call for gun law reform.
“As a nation, we have to ask — when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?” he said.
Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old Uvalde resident, was identified as the shooter by Abbott. According to the governor, the man abandoned his truck and entered Robb Elementary with a handgun and possibly a rifle.
According to Arredondo, the firing began about 11:32 a.m. At 12:17 p.m., the Uvalde school district reported an active shooter on Twitter.
A representative for the US Department of Homeland Security claimed that Border Patrol agents responded to a law enforcement request for assistance. When cops entered the school, they were met with gunfire from the shooter, who was barricaded inside. According to the Associated Press, a Border Patrol agent shot the gunman before calling for help.
Gutierrez told CNN that the gunman shot his grandma before opening fire at the school. According to information provided to Gutierrez by the Texas Rangers, the grandma was transported to San Antonio and was “still holding on” Tuesday evening.
According to the Daily Dot, the shooter recently purchased a gun online. According to the site, he showed photographs of two guns in his most recent Instagram post before the social media platform deactivated the account.
Robb Elementary educates kids in the second, third, and fourth grades. On Thursday, the students were supposed to celebrate the end of the school year.
In the 2020-2021 academic year, the school had 535 students, the majority of whom were Hispanic and considered economically disadvantaged. Uvalde is a tiny city located about 85 miles west of San Antonio. It has a population of about 15,200 people, the majority of whom are Hispanic.
The Uvalde CISD had placed all campuses on lockdown earlier Tuesday after gunshots were fired in the neighborhood. According to Harrell, the school will be closed for the balance of the academic year, but kids will be able to get bereavement counseling.
“My heart breaks for the city of Uvalde,” said U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican whose district includes Robb Elementary School, on Twitter. “Pray for our families,” she said, quoting a Bible text.