Twisted school shooter Salvador Ramos scooped up a handful of his child victims' blood and smeared it on a whiteboard before writing 'LOL', it has been revealed.
Evil gunman Ramos, 18, massacred 19 innocent children in a sickening rampage at Robb Elementary School in Texas, after first shooting his own grandmother at a house in May last year.
By the end of the horrific spree in the city of Uvalde, Ramos had killed 19 kids and two teachers before being gunned down by police.
The latest revelation came during an emotional hearing with victims’ families which marked the first time Texas lawmakers have given any proposed gun restrictions a hearing since the massacre.
Texas House Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, said: “The attacker scooped up the blood of his victims and smeared it into his disgusting message.
“What he wrote in innocent blood next to that (whiteboard) was the phrase, 'LOL'.”
His statement caused those attending to gasp and openly sob.
The late-night hearing - which started Tuesday morning and stretched past midnight - underlined both the sustained anger by some Uvalde families nearly a year after the shooting.
Much of the debate centred on a proposal that would raise the age to purchase semiautomatic rifles from 18 to 21 years old, which Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has opposed.
"Tess didn't have a choice in life and death," said Veronica Mata, referring to her 10-year-old daughter who was among those killed in the Uvalde classroom. "But you as lawmakers have a choice in what her life will be remembered for."
Family and friends of victims have returned to the Texas Capitol on multiple occasions to protest and meet with lawmakers.
They have also called for more police accountability after hundreds of law enforcement officers on the scene waited more than an hour to breach the fourth-grade classroom and confront the shooter.
For years in Texas, Republicans have waved aside efforts to tighten gun laws after mass shootings, and even expanded gun rights after the 2019 attack on a Walmart in El Paso.
After the Uvalde shooting, Abbott told victims' families he would not support their calls for gun safety legislation.
Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, later said proposals to raise the minimum required age for certain firearms and other gun measures did not have the votes to pass.
Republicans have instead focused on additional mental health services in Texas and increasing school security.
Gun rights supporters also sat in the room, including at least one man legally carrying a holstered handgun.
Another was Stephen Willeford, who disrupted the 2017 church shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas, that left 26 people dead by confronting the gunman with his own rifle.
He said a bill that would raise the age to purchase semiautomatic - like the kind used in the Uvalde shooting - would infringe on the rights of younger gun owners. A representative from the National Rifle Association echoed that statement.
"We represent 18, 19 and 20-year-olds who are not mass shooters, we defend the constitutional rights," NRA lobbyist Tara Mica said. "Realistically, a raise the age bill is going to be litigated and found unconstitutional."
As mass shootings continue across the country, the debate around gun rights continues to divide.
In Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee signed an executive order last week strengthening background checks for gun purchases after a gunman killed three children and three adults at a private elementary school.
At the same time, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee on Tuesday sent Lee a bill that would further protect gun and ammunition dealers, manufacturers and sellers against lawsuits.
