A gunman at an elementary school in Texas has shot and killed at least 14 students and one teacher in a horrifying incident, Gov. Greg Abbott revealed on Tuesday.
The governor said that the suspect was also already dead and is believed to have been fatally shot by responding law enforcement officers. The Texas Republican's remarks came after the district reported an active shooter at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
Texas School Shooting
The school is approximately one hour and a half west of San Antonio and teaches 2nd, 3rd, and 4th-grade students, said Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pedro Arredondo. Abbott also said that the shooter was identified to be an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde.
The Republican said he believed that the gunman, who he named Salvador Ramos, abandoned his vehicle before entering the school armed with a handgun and possibly a rifle. Abbott said that the suspect shot and killed the students "horrifically" and "incomprehensibly."
Arredondo noted that the shooting took place at roughly 11:32 a.m. local time but did not provide many details regarding the events. However, he confirmed that the shooter was indeed dead and said that investigators were led to believe that he acted alone, as per CBS News.
The police chief also confirmed that there were several injuries and "some deaths" that were caused by the shooter. On the other hand, two law enforcement sources said that the alleged gunman was suspected of killing his grandmother before going to the school and shooting other people.
In a statement, Uvalde Memorial Hospital spokesperson Tom Nordwick said earlier that two people died in the school shooting and that 13 children and a man in his 40s were being treated for injuries. University Hospital in San Antonio posted on Twitter and said that they received a child and an adult from the school shooting. They added that the adult, a 66-year-old woman, was in critical condition.
According to CNN, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which is the largest law enforcement agency in the area, was able to assist with the response. A CBP agent was believed to have been shot in the head but an official said the injuries were non-life-threatening.
School Shootings in the US
One bystander in the area at the time of the shooting, Isaias Melendez, was able to capture video footage of the horrifying incident. They showed scores of armed officers at the scene while other people were trying to flee the school.
The incident marks the 30th shooting at a K-12 school this year alone and excluding yesterday's shooting, there have been at least 38 shootings in K-12 schools, colleges, and universities, so far in 2022 that resulted in at least 10 deaths and 51 injuries.
Abbott said that when parents drop their children off at school, they have the right to expect that they will be able to pick them up when that school day ends. He noted that there were many families who were now mourning the loss of their loved ones, ABC13 reported.
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