An 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two adults at a Texas primary school before he was killed by law enforcement, officials said.
The shooter was identified by Texas officials as Salvador Ramos, of Uvalde, is alleged to have also shot his grandmother before crashing a vehicle near the school, Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Erick Estrada said.
Police said at a Tuesday press conference they believe that the shooter, who according to Texas Governor Gregg Abbott had a handgun and possibly a riffle, committed the murders alone. Uvalde is a small city that has approximately 16 000 residents, which is located approximately 85 miles west of San Antonio.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Chief of Police Pete Arredondo said the shooting began at 11:32 American time on Tuesday and investigators believe that the deceased suspect acted alone when he committed the crime.
Abbott said the shooter abandoned a vehicle before he entered the school to “horrifically, incomprehensibly” open fire resulting in the murder of 21 people. One of the adults killed was a teacher, who has been named by the US media as Eva Mireles. She had a daughter in collage and loved running, according to her page on the school website.
Congressman Tony Gonzales, who represents the area, said in a statement: “I am heartbroken for our South Texas community. It is devastating when our innocent children become the victims of senseless violence. We are devastated.”
Source: CNN, AL Jazeera, BBC News, People, The Guardian, image from The Guardian: Alonso Dinner/AFP/Getty Images