Uvalde, Texas experienced its worst nightmare on Tuesday morning – a massacre of at least 19 children and two teachers in a fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School.
Robb Elementary School, about 80 miles west of San Antonio, Texas, is close to the US border with Mexico.
An 18-year-old male had a fight with his 66-year-old grandmother, who he lived with. He shot her and drove to the school in his grandmother’s truck, where police tried to apprehend him. The shooter, wearing a ballistic plate carrier and prepared for a fight with an AR-15-style rifle, started shooting at police. He fled to a classroom and randomly shot at frantic children sitting at their desks.
A specialized law enforcement task force, the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, was able to enter the classroom and gunfire ensued. Two officers were shot as other officers attempted to evacuate the children and staff from the classrooms. The shooter was taken down by police gunfire. The officers are expected to survive.
Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Christopher Olivarez told CBS News on CBS Mornings, that the task force officers “…were able to shoot and kill the shooter and prevent any further loss of life.”
The 18-year-old shooter was identified as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the area. His grandmother was transported to a local hospital and as of this report, has survived.
The suspect had no criminal record and no mental health history. According to Governor Greg Abbott of Texas, Ramos sent messages on Facebook 30 minutes prior to the shooting.
“I’m going to shoot my grandmother.” Then, “I shot my grandmother,” and the final post, 15 minutes before the attack, said, “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”
A spokesperson for Facebook said the messages were sent privately.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said on Wednesday that Ramos had purchased two semi-automatic rifles in March of this year. According to Sen. John Whitmire of the Texas State Senate, the gunman had purchased 375 rounds of 5.56 ammunition.
The families of 19 children and two teachers have suffered a tragic loss.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott released a statement after the shooting, and said that Texans are “grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde.”
In response to the massacre, President Biden addressed the nation and expressed his heartbreak. He said, “To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away,” said Biden. “You feel like you’re being sucked into it, never able to get out. Suffocating. It’s never quite the same.”
And again, as if reading the minds of millions of Americans, he implored, “As a nation, we have to ask, when in God’s name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name, will we do what we know in our gut needs to be done?” Biden said. “We have to act. Don’t tell me we can’t have an impact on this carnage,” Biden added.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke about the shooting while addressing an audience at a pre-scheduled awards banquet. She said, “Every time a tragedy like this happens, our hearts break, and our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families. And yet, it keeps happening.”