Gunman at a Texas elementary school kills 18 students and one adult before being fatally shot, officials say.
An 18-year-old gunman on Tuesday fatally shot 18 children and an adult at a Texas elementary school before he was killed by law enforcement officers, officials said.
The shooter — identified by Texas officials as Salvador Ramos, of Uvalde — also shot his grandmother before going to the school, three law enforcement sources told CNN. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez told CNN the grandmother was airlifted to San Antonio and “is still holding on,” according to information he was given by the Texas Rangers.
The gunman is believed to have acted alone, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo said.
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LIVE UPDATES ON THE SHOOTING
The shooting was the deadliest at an elementary school since the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut in 2012 that left 26 people dead, including 20 children between 6 and 7 years old.
Texas Elementary School Shooting Video Footage
Here are the latest developments in Tuesday’s tragedy:
Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada told CNN’s Anderson Cooper the gunman wrecked a vehicle while driving near the school after shooting his grandmother. “The suspect did crash near a ditch nearby the school. That’s where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that’s when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement.”
Texas School Shooter Picture: Authority Confirmed Horror Details About Suspects
The gunman had body armor, the rifle and a backpack, Estrada said. Ramos made it into several classrooms, Estrada added.
US Customs and Border Protection, which is the largest law enforcement agency in the area, assisted with the response to the shooting. A CBP agent was shot in the head. His injuries are non-life-threatening, according to the official.
President Joe Biden has ordered US flags on federal grounds to be flown at half-staff until sunset on Saturday to honor the victims of these “senseless acts of violence.”
Uvalde Memorial Hospital spokesperson Tom Nordwick earlier said 13 children and a man in his 40s were being treated for injuries. University Hospital in San Antonio said in a tweet they received a child and an adult from the school shooting. The adult, a 66-year-old woman, is in critical condition, the hospital said in a tweet.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local police with the investigation.