The latest on the tragic Texas school shooting that left 19 children, 2 adults dead
A horrifying rampage of gun violence happened two days before the Robb elementary school’s summer break. On Tuesday, at approximately 11:32 am, one of the deadliest school shootings took place in this school in Uvalde, Texas.
Salvador Ramos, 18 years old, is the lone shooter who took the lives of several children and adults. Although, the police officials also shot and killed the gunman.
According to Sgt. Erick Estrada of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Ramos arrived at the Robb Elementary school wearing body armor. He was also armed with a long rifle. The elementary school holds classes for the second up to fourth grades. They have a total of 535 students.
Sgt. Erick Estrada added, “The updated numbers that they gave me, they told me 19 students, two adults, and then we also have the shooter that was deceased.” He told the CNN reporters.
Gustavo Garcia-Siller, Archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, comforts people as they react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting, in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Moreover, Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety also said Ramos had “started shooting children and teachers inside the classroom, having no regard for human life.”
He also said, “Just a complete tragedy. An evil person was going into the school and killing children for no reason whatsoever.”
Parents of students were waiting in despair after the news of the shooting spree broke out. They stayed at a civic center near the school to check if their children were survivors. According to some, parents also gave their DNA samples to help identify the victims.
How did the Texas school shooting happen?
Law enforcement personnel ran away from the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Ramos had already shot his grandmother before heading out to do the heartless deed on Tuesday morning. The police officers went to their residence to investigate. His grandmother was in critical condition, according to officials.
After that incident, a police officer received a call around 11:30 am. Someone reported that a car crashed into a ditch just around the vicinity of the school. Police officials believed that Ramos was the one driving that vehicle.
Sgt. Estrada said, “he was engaged by a Uvalde ISD police officer who works here at the school. And then, after that, he was engaged by two other officers from the Uvalde Police Department. A tactical agency came in and was able to eliminate the threat and bring the suspect down.”
However, it still wasn’t clear to the officials how Ramos went his way past the school officers and fired the gun in several classrooms. The cause of his vehicle crash is also unknown as there were no reports that Ramos was being hunted before the crash.
Today in my home state of Texas 18 innocent students were killed while simply trying to get an education. A teacher killed doing her job; an invaluable yet sadly under appreciated job. If children aren’t safe at school where are they safe?
— Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) May 25, 2022
A group of more than 20 US Customs and Border Protection agents came to the rescue. One CBP agent was also injured in the shootout but is now stable. Ramos exchanged gunshots with the agents and the law enforcement officers while barricading himself.
Marsha Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, tweeted, “risking their own lives, these Border Patrol Agents and other officers put themselves between the shooter and children on the scene to draw the shooter’s attention away from potential victims and save lives.”
According to Sgt. Estrada, the motive for the shooting remains unclear at this point.
The Victims of the Elementary School Shooting
People react outside the Ssgt Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students had been transported from Robb Elementary School after a shooting in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
Loved ones, relatives, and parents waited anxiously for hours at the civic center, which they turned into a reunification center for any information about their children.
One father fought down, breaking into tears after he learned his child was dead. Moreover, a few meters away from the civic center, a grandmother from San Antonio came. She said she would not stop praying for the life of her granddaughter. While they wait for the results of the DNA swabs.
A fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles was also one of the victims. She was killed in the shooting. Her aunt Lydia Martinez Delgado told the reports.
A deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvlade, Texas happened today. How many innocent kids’ lives need to be lost or put in danger for us as a country to change our approach to guns? How many people have to die for our country to realize WE HAVE A GUN PROBLEM?
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) May 24, 2022
According to a Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District profile, Mireles was a teacher for 17 years. She is an adventurous soul who does running, biking, and hiking and spends most of her time with her family.
Who is the Texas School shooter?
Children get on a school bus as law enforcement personnel guard the scene of a suspected shooting near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 24, 2022. REUTERS/Marco Bello
The lone gunman, Salvador Ramos, attends school at Uvalde High School. Three days ago, his Instagram account posted photos of two AR-15-style rifles.
Ramos also worked part-time at a local Wendy’s. The restaurant manager Adrian Mendes confirmed that Ramos “kept to himself mostly.” He also added that he “didn’t socialize with the other employees. He just worked hard, got paid, and came in to get his check.”
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Meanwhile, one of Ramos’ classmates told the reports that the gunman sent him photos. Ramos shared pictures of his AR-15, a few gun magazines, and a few rounds of ammunition.
His friend said, “I was like, ‘Bro, why do you have this?’ And he was like, ‘Don’t worry about it.”
The friend also added, “he proceeded to text me, ‘I look very different now. You wouldn’t recognize me.”
Ramos also stopped going to school regularly.
In addition, the school district officials said they would cancel the remaining days of this school year. Thursday was supposed to be the last day for this year before the summer break.
