EIGHTEEN students and a teacher have died after 18-year-old Salvador Ramos opened fire at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, local officials say.
President Joe Biden is set to address the nation about the Robb Elementary shooting at 8.15pm ET.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Biden's speech earlier today and said, "President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available."
Vice President Kamala Harris made remarks earlier and addressed the people of the small Texas town directly.
“To the people of Uvalde, please know that this is a room full of leaders who grieve with you. We are praying for you and we stand with you.”
Governor Greg Abbott said earlier that Ramos, a Uvalde resident, abandoned his vehicle and entered the school at around noon.
Abbott also confirmed that Ramos died, citing preliminary reports saying that Ramos was killed by responding officers.
Read our Robb Elementary school shooting live blog for the latest news and updates…
- Carsen Holaday
Ramos 'wore body armor'
Department of Public Safety Sgt Erick Estrada confirmed that Salvador Ramos had a rifle and was wearing body armor at the time of the shooting.
Estrada said Ramos was barricaded and exchanged gunfire with officers before being eventually killed by a tactical team.
- Carsen Holaday
AOC responds to Cruz
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez quote-tweeted Ted Cruz's statement about the shooting and brought up his association with the NRA.
"You can do more than pray," the lawmaker said.
- Carsen Holaday
61 active shooter incidents in 2021
Today, the FBI released the Active Shooter Incidents in the United States in 2021 report, which designated 61 shootings as active shooter incidents in 2021.
In these incidents, 103 people were killed and 140 wounded, excluding the shooters.
The number of active shooter incidents identified in 2021 represents a 52.5 percent increase from 2020.
- Carsen Holaday
Grief counseling for students
The school's superintendent, Dr Hall, announced that grief counseling for students and staff will be available tomorrow morning at the city's civic center.
He confirmed that school will be closed for the rest of the school year.
"My heart is broken today. We're a small community and we will need your prayers to get us through this."
- Carsen Holaday
Press conference statements
Uvalde Chief of Police Pete Arredondo says that the intruder is deceased and police are not actively looking for another suspect in this case.
- Carsen Holaday
Haunting footage shows shooter stalking
Chilling footage near Robb Elementary showed Salvador Ramos approaching the building while what sounds like gunfire going off in the background.
The video was shared on social media as concerned parents raced to the school searching for their children.
The alleged shooter engaged in a shootout with border patrol authorities before barricading himself inside the school. Police later confirmed that he died.
Authorities confirmed that the suspect acted alone and the children who were killed and injured are between third, fourth and fifth grades.
- Carsen Holaday
'The commonality'
Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe said that the commonality of this horror is alarming.
"This is happening on a weekly basis in our country,"
- Carsen Holaday
FLOTUS tweets 'Lord, enough'
First Lady Jill Biden tweeted her grief for the "little children and their teacher."
- Carsen Holaday
Gutierrez says death count risen
Texas Senator Roland Gutierrez just told CNN that rangers confirmed to him that the death count has risen to 18 children and 2 adults – 20 dead in total.
- Carsen Holaday
'Still holding on'
Gutierrez confirmed that the shooter tried to kill his grandmother, but that she's still alive and "holding on."
- Carsen Holaday
On his birthday
Texas Senator Roland Gutierrez confirmed that Salvador Ramos bought two guns on his 18th birthday.
- Carsen Holaday
Kamala Harris's remarks
"I would normally say in a moment like this, we would all say naturally, that our hearts break, but our hearts keep getting broken," the Vice President said.
"As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action and understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again."
- Carsen Holaday
'Enough is enough'
Vice President Kamala Harris is speaking now about the Robb Elementary shooting.
"To the people of Uvalde, please know that this is a room full of leaders who grieve with you. We are praying for you and we stand with you."
- Carsen Holaday
Deadliest school shooting in Texas history
The Robb Elementary shooting is reportedly the deadliest school shooting in Texas history and happened four years after a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area, according to 9News.
The shooting also came just days after ten people were killed during a mass shooting at a Tops Friendly Markets store in Buffalo, NY.
- Carsen Holaday
Nancy Pelosi calls on Congress
In her statement, Speaker Nancy Pelosi says that Americans are "united" in "deep gratitude for the heroes who put their lives on the line to respond to this deadly mass shooting."
She says that Americans are filled with a "righteous fury" in the wake of recent mass shootings.
Pelosi goes on to say that Congress has only offered "hollow words" and that it's time for Congress to enact the "House-passed bipartisan, commonsense, life-saving legislation into law."
- Carsen Holaday
Cruz doesn't see gun reform as a solution
Senator Ted Cruz said that more law enforcement is more of a solution than gun control, according to CNN correspondents.
“Inevitably when there's a murderer of this kind, you see politicians try to politicize it, you see Democrats and a lot of folks in the media whose immediate solution is to try to restrict the constitutional rights of law abiding citizens."
- Carsen Holaday
Biden's remarks set for this evening
President Joe Biden is set to speak about the tragedy tonight at 8.15pm EST.
- Carsen Holaday
NRA annual show this weekend
The National Rifle Association's annual meetings and exhibits are this weekend in Houston, Texas.
Former President Donald Trump is set to speak at a forum for NRA members.
- Carsen Holaday
Mitch McConnell is 'heartbroken'
Senator Mitch McConnell tweeted that the shooting has left him “horrified and heartbroken.”
- Carsen Holaday
Photo released of shooting suspect
A photo of 18-year-old Salvador Ramos has been released.
Ramos was reportedly shot in a stand-off with Texas officials responding to calls of an active shooter in Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Credit: Uvalde Police Department - Carsen Holaday
About Uvalde
Uvalde, Texas, has a population of about 16,000 people.
The town is about 75 miles from the Mexico border and 85 miles from San Antonio.
Robb Elementary School has an enrollment of just under 600 students and is reportedly in a residential area of the town.
- Carsen Holaday
Piers Morgan pleads with America
"Schoolchildren being slaughtered in their classrooms should not be a political issue," TV host Piers Morgan tweeted.
"Please, America, stop the partisan bulls**t and do something to stop it."
- Carsen Holaday
Flags to be lowered to half mast
President Biden has ordered US flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and around the nation until Saturday night, Craig Caplan reports.
"As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on May 24th by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.”
- Carsen Holaday
Blood donations needed
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is in critical need of blood donations following the mass shooting, according to KSAT.
STBTC confirmed to the outlet that it sent at least 15 units to victims at Uvalde Memorial Hospital, but its supply is running out.
An emergency blood drive is scheduled Wednesday from 9am to 2pm at the Herby Ham Activity Center in Uvalde.
- Carsen Holaday
Reunification point established at civic center
The district is using the city’s civic center as a reunification center. Parents can pick up children once everyone is accounted for, KPRC-TV reports.
"When parents drop their kids off at school, they have every expectation to know that they're going to be able to pick their child up when that school day ends. And there are families who are in mourning right now," Abbott said of the shooting victims, ABC News reported.
"The state of Texas is in mourning with them for the reality that these parents are not going to be able to pick up their children."
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