An 18-year-old gunman was shot and killed by police in a Texas school mass shooting, according to Governor Greg Abbott.
According to Abbott and ABC News, the suspected shooter, Salvador Ramos, shot his grandmother before making his way to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, around noon local time with a possible handgun and rifle.
At a press conference in Abilene, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said it’s possible the shooter abandoned his vehicle and entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and a rifle, but that hasn’t yet been confirmed. The shooter attended Uvalde High School.
“He shot and killed 14 students and a teacher in a horrific, incomprehensible manner. The shooter, Mr. Ramos, has already been killed. Officers responding to the scene are believed to have shot and killed him.”
Hospital officials say that in addition to the 15 fatalities, which include a boy and a girl, another 15 children and two adults were injured.
University Health San Antonio is the only Level 1 trauma center in the region that treats both adults and children; 14 children were taken to Uvalde Medical Center, while a 10-year-old girl and 66-year-old woman in critical condition were taken to UHSA.
Uvalde, Texas, and the entire state of Texas are mourning the victims of this heinous crime and the people who live there. Abbott released a statement in which he said, “Cecilia and I are mourning this senseless loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering.
Robb Elementary School is now safe and secures thanks to the heroic efforts of the first responders. Texas DPS and Texas Rangers will work with local authorities to conduct a thorough investigation into this crime, as I’ve instructed them to do.”
About 60 miles east of the southern border of Mexico and 80 miles west of San Antonio, Robb Elementary School was put on lockdown around 11:43 a.m today after gunshots were heard in the area.
According to the Uvalde Police Department’s Facebook page, the school reported an “active shooter” about a half-hour later, who was taken into custody by 1:06 pm.
At approximately 5:00 p.m. local time, police are scheduled to hold a press conference. The Willie DeLeon Civic Center has been designated as a reunification location for all missing students.
Four years ago, a gunman killed 10 people at a high school in Houston, Texas, in the state’s deadliest school shooting. Payton Gendron, 18, shot and killed ten people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket just ten days earlier.