At least 19 children and two adults were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The gunman, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, is dead, officials said.
Ramos shot his grandmother before the mass shooting, authorities say, and she remains hospitalized in critical condition.
President Joe Biden called on the US to turn its collective pain into political action following the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012.
The gunman, identified by officials as Salvador Ramos, is dead and is believed to have acted alone. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the 18-year-old suspect had attended Uvalde High School.
The shooting was the deadliest at an elementary school since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut that left 26 people dead, including 20 children between 6 and 7 years old.
Suspect shot grandmother before going to the school: Ramos is believed to have shot his grandmother before heading to the elementary school, three law enforcement sources tell CNN. The grandmother is hospitalized in critical condition, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada said.
Gunman wore body armor, crashed his vehicle before the attack: The suspect crashed his vehicle in a ditch near the school before attempting to enter the premises, Estrada told CNN. Law enforcement engaged the suspect but he was able to get inside, where he “entered several classrooms and started shooting his firearm,” Estrada said.
Responding officers faced gunfire, DHS says: At least one Border Patrol agent was wounded by gunfire from the shooter who had barricaded himself inside, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. “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,” spokesperson Marsha Espinosa said.
Photo of guns posted on social media: A photo of two AR15-style rifles appeared on an Instagram account linked to the gunman just three days before Tuesday’s shooting. His TikTok page has only a single post of a mobile game, yet the bio under his profile picture reads: “Kids be scared irl” or in real life.
Rest of school year is canceled: Dr. Hal Harrell, superintendent of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, said the rest of the school year, which was supposed to conclude on Thursday, has been canceled. The district will provide “grief counseling and support at the civic center for our students” on Wednesday morning, he said.
Biden calls for Americans ‘to turn this pain into action:’ President Joe Biden called on the US to turn its collective pain into political action following Tuesday’s shooting. “Where in God’s name is our backbone, to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies? It’s time to turn this pain into action,” he said.
There have been more mass shootings than days in 2022: Tuesday, May 24, was the 144th day of the year. There have been at least 212 mass shootings in 2022, according to the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive. CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.
CNN