Chilling video shows Texas shooter Salvador Ramos entering school before killing spree
A shocking video appears to have captured shooting suspect Salvador Ramos as he entered an elementary school in Texas and slaughtered several children and two teachers.
Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde was placed on lockdown around 11:45 am on Tuesday, May 24, after the attacker allegedly opened fire at the institution, which caters to children aged seven to 10, after exchanging gunfire with border patrol agents and barricading himself inside the school premises. Authorities later confirmed that gunman Ramos, 18, claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers after allegedly shooting his own grandmother prior to the rampage.
RELATED ARTICLES
UK govt's reaction to horrifying Dunblane school shooting held as example to US politicians
All eyes on NRA-ILA Leadership Forum as gun group comes under fire after Uvalde school massacre
Video footage shared on Facebook by local resident Elsa G Ruiz showed a man resembling the suspect dressed in dark clothing with medium long hair walking into a school building carrying what is believed to be a firearm. "What my girls just sent me this is at Robb. Prayers for the kids and staff," Ruiz wrote in the caption.
Uvalde Police Department initially said the attacker was in police custody shortly after 1 pm, but later confirmed that he had been shot and killed by responding officers. It's worth noting that the Tuesday afternoon shooting was the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut, in which 20 students and six adults were killed.
Among the victims on Tuesday are two heroic teachers, Imra Garcia, 46, and co-teacher, Eva Mireles, 44, who sacrificed their lives to protect the schoolchildren. Some students who lost their lives were identified as Xavier Lopez, 10, Makenna Elrod, 10, Eliahana 'Elijah Cruz' Torres, 10, Rogelio Torres, Uziyah Garcia, 8, Amerie Jo Garza, and Neveah Bravo.
President Joe Biden demanded action on gun laws following the massacre. "The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong," he said. "I'd hoped when I became president I would not have to do this, again."
Born in North Dakota, Ramos lived in Uvalde. He was a student at Uvalde High School before he found work at Wendy's. Hours before carrying out the massacre, the shooter reportedly sent a chilling message to an acquaintance on Instagram, saying, "I'm about to". As mentioned, Ramos is reported to have shot his grandmother and left her in critical condition before setting off on his rampage. "It's believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed according to my most recent report," Governor Greg Abbott said of Ramos. "He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher."
Texas State Sen Roland Gutierrez reportedly said that the two assault rifles used in the massacre were bought by the shooter on his 18th birthday. Under a new Texan law passed in September, people aged 18-21 could buy guns if they had a protective order for being at risk of family violence, stalking, prostitution, or sex trafficking. Under the law, the requirement for a permit for a handgun was removed. Rifles were already permitted in Texas without the need for licenses.
