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Al Jazeera
Al Jazeera
World

Texas school shooting: What, where and who?

Texas Greg Abbott School Shooting Chris Murphy Joe Biden Kamala Harris Salvador Ramos Uvalde United Nations Barack Obama
A woman reacts as Gustavo Garcia-Siller, archbishop of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, comforts people outside the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center [File: Reuters]

A teenage gunman has killed at least 19 children and two adults after storming into a primary school in Uvalde, Texas, in the latest mass shooting in the United States and the deadliest US school shooting in a decade.

Here is what we know.

What happened and when?

  • A teenage gunman killed at least 19 young children and two adults at Robb Elementary School – which teaches more than 500 mostly Hispanic and economically disadvantaged students – in Texas on Tuesday.
  • All 21 victims were in a single fourth-grade classroom.
  • According to authorities, the shooting started at 11:32am (16:32 GMT).
  • Texas Department of Public Safety officials said the gunman shot his grandmother before heading to the school where he abandoned his vehicle and entered with a handgun and a rifle, wearing body armour. Other officials said later that the grandmother survived and was being treated, though her condition was not known.
  • The gunman barricaded himself inside the school and exchanged gunfire with officers as they entered the building, said Marsha Espinosa, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security. One US Border Patrol agent was wounded.
  • The gunman was killed by responding officers, officials said.
  • Multiple children have been injured, it remains unclear how many.

Where did it happen?

  • The attack took place in Uvalde – a small community of about 16,000 residents about 129km (80 miles) west of San Antonio and about 113km (70 miles) from the Mexican border.
  • Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, said the children who attended the primary school were aged from five to about 12 years old.

Who was the gunman?

  • Governor Abbott named the suspect as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old resident of Uvalde and a US citizen. “He shot and killed, horrifically and incomprehensibly,” Abbott said.
  • Officials did not immediately reveal a motive.
  • A manager at a Wendy’s restaurant told the New York Times that Ramos worked there for a year but quit about a month ago. He “went out of the way to keep [to] himself”, Adrian Mendez of Wendy’s told the New York Times. “No one really knew him.”
  • Authorities said he had legally purchased two rifles and 375 rounds of ammunition days before the shooting.

What do we know about the victims?

  • Manny Renfro told The Associated Press that his grandson, eight-year-old Uziyah Garcia, had been killed. “The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” Renfro said. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”
This March 2022 photo provided by Manny Renfro shows his grandson, Uziyah Garcia, while on spring break in San Angelo [File: Manny Renfro/AP]
  • Fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles, 44, was killed in the rampage. She is remembered as a loving mother and wife. “She was adventurous. She is definitely going to be very missed,” 34-year-old relative Amber Ybarra, of San Antonio, told AP.
  • Irma Garcia, 46, Mireles’ co-teacher, who had taught at the school for 23 years, was also killed in the shooting, her son, Christian Garcia told NBC News. She leaves behind her husband of 24 years and four children.
  • Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, Texas, mourned the death of her cousin, Xavier Javier Lopez, who had been eagerly awaiting a summer of swimming. “He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she told AP.
Xavier Lopez, one of the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, is seen in this undated photo obtained from social media [File: Reuters]
  • Amerie Jo Garza, 10, was also identified as one of the victims. “Thank you everyone for the prayers and help trying to find my baby,” Angel Garza told ABC News in a statement. “My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you, Amerie Jo. Watch over your baby brother for me.”
Amerie Jo Garza, one of the victims of the mass shooting in Uvalde [File: Reuters]
  • Jose Lopez, 10, was also killed, his uncle Christopher Salazar confirmed. “He was a very happy little boy. He loved both his parents … and loved to laugh and have fun,” Salazar said.
  • Family members told KHOU 11 that Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, who was a third-grade student, was killed. Her family said her cousin, who was in the same class, was also shot and killed.
  • Rogelio Torres’s father Federico confirmed to KHOU 11 that his son was also among the victims of the shooting.
  • Jose Flores Jr, 10, was also killed, his father told CNN. Jose loved baseball and video games and was “always full of energy”, his father said.
  • Faith Mata wrote a tribute for her sister, Tess Marie Mata on Twitter: “My precious angel you are loved so deeply. In my eyes you are not a victim but a survivor. I love you always and past forever baby sister, may your wings soar higher then you could ever dream. Till we meet again Tess Marie, love your big sis.”
  • Kadence Elizabeth said on Twitter that her sister, Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, was also one of the children killed. “All I ask is that you hug your loved ones tonight and tell them you love them, you never know when you won’t have the chance to anymore,” she said.
  • The parents of Ellie Garcia, confirmed her death on Facebook. Her father, Steven Garcia, wrote, “Our Ellie was a doll and was the happiest ever.”
(Al Jazeera)

What have the reactions been?

  • Speaking from the White House, a visibly shaken President Joe Biden urged people in the US to stand up to the powerful gun lobby, which he blamed for blocking tougher firearms safety laws. He ordered flags flown at half-staff in mourning until sunset on Saturday.
  • Speaking Tuesday night at an event, Vice President Kamala Harris called for policy changes to help prevent such tragedies. “I would normally say in a moment like this … that our hearts break. But our hearts keep getting broken,” Harris 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.”
  • “My heart is broken,” school district superintendent Hal Harrell told reporters late in the day, his voice quaking with emotion. “We’re a small community and we need your prayers to get us through this.”
  • Governor Abbott said: “Texans are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime.”
  • Ted Cruz, a pro-gun rights Republican senator from Texas, tweeted that he and his wife were “lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde”.
  • In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his sadness over the shooting and sent his condolences to the “parents, families, friends, classmates, and coworkers whose lives have forever changed”.
  • Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, made an impassioned appeal for concrete action to prevent further gun violence. “This isn’t inevitable, these kids weren’t unlucky. This only happens in this country and nowhere else. Nowhere else do little kids go to school thinking that they might be shot that day,” Murphy said on the Senate floor in Washington.
  • UN chief Antonio Guterres also expressed his sadness over the killings.
  • Pope Francis said he was “heartbroken” by the shooting and called for greater controls on weapons.
  • Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr refused to talk about basketball at a pre-game news conference and instead called for stricter gun controls after the shooting.
  • Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tweeted: “Thoughts and prayers are not enough. After years of nothing else, we are becoming a nation of anguished screams. We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children.”
  • Former US President Bill Clinton also expressed his condolences and he called on authorities to take action.
  • Former President Barack Obama said, “Michelle and I grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear.”
  • “Grief overwhelms the soul. Children slaughtered. Lives extinguished. Parents’ hearts wrenched. Incomprehensible,” Senator Mitt Romney tweeted.
  • Senator Bernie Sanders tweeted: “Congress may not be able to end this problem, but we must at least pass commonsense gun reforms to finally protect the public.”
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