Who is Salvador Ramos' mother? Adriana Reyes 'surprised' at son's carnage, says he wasn't violent
UVALDE, TEXAS: The mother of teen gunman Salvador Ramos has opened up about her son's nature, claiming that he was not a violent person. Ramos opened fire at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, May 24, killing over a dozen kids and more than one adult. Police officials from the Texas Department of Public Safety, US Customs and Border Protection and various other local agencies responded to the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School. Ramos was finally shot dead.
According to people who knew Ramos' family, the 18-year-old had a contentious relationship with his mother. A former neighbor in Uvalde reportedly claimed that the two had multiple blowups. Ruben Flores, who lived next door to Ramos on Hood Street in Uvalde before Ramos moved in with his grandmother, said that Ramos had "a pretty rough life with his mom". He also claimed that he had seen police at the house.
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Who is Salvador Ramos' mother?
Reports claimed that people who knew the family said his mother, Adriana Reyes, did drugs. The situation in the house reportedly resulted in Ramos moving in with his grandmother. Flores also claimed that the grandmother was trying to evict Ramos' mother because of her drug use.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Reyes admitted that her son "kept to himself and didn't have many friends". However, she denied the fact that her relationship with Ramos was toxic. "My son wasn't a violent person. I'm surprised by what he did," Reyes said. "I pray for those families. I'm praying for all of those innocent children, yes I am. They [the children] had no part in this."
"I had a good relationship with him. He kept to himself; he didn't have many friends," she insisted. However, reports say she struggled with drug use and had kicked her troubled son out of her home. Celia Gonzalez, Ramos' grandmother whom he shot and critically wounded before he went on his killing spree, is now recovering in a hospital.
Reyes claimed that the last time she spoke to her son was on his birthday. "I had a card and a Snoopy stuffed animal to give to him," she said. Claiming that she did not initially know that Ramos had shot her mother, Reyes said that she and her sister are going to care for her when she gets home to Uvalde. She said her mother "with her left hand, was able to hold my hand", adding that Gonzalez cannot smile but knows she is there for her. Doctors are unable to tell what her mother's prognosis is, she said. Reyes did not address claims that she did drugs.
Hours before carrying out the massacre, the shooter sent a chilling message to an acquaintance on Instagram, saying, "I'm about to". Born in North Dakota, Ramos lived in Uvalde. He was a student at Uvalde High School before he found work at a Wendy's. “Evil swept across Uvalde yesterday,” Texas Gov Greg Abbott had said after the crime. “Anyone who shoots his grandmother in the face has to have evil in his heart.”
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.