Texas Police Say Door to Uvalde Elementary School Was Unlocked When Gunman Entered

UVALDE, Texas – The Texas woman whose grandson, Salvador Ramos, shot her in the face and then went on to kill 21 people at a Uvalde elementary school earlier this week is recovering in a hospital but is still unable to speak following surgery on Wednesday, her husband told Fox News Digital.

Rolando Reyes, Ramos’ grandfather, said Thursday the suspect’s 66-year-old grandmother was awake after surgery the day before, but still could not talk.

For more on this story: Texas school shooter’s grandma still hospitalized after surgery, not talking as of Wednesday: Family

Uvalde, Texas police Chief Daniel Rodriguez issued a statement Thursday saying his officers responded to a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School “within minutes” along school district officers amid claims that authorities waited to confront the gunman.

“It is important for our community to know that our Officers responded within minutes alongside Uvalde CISD Officers,” Rodriguez said. “Responding UPD Officers sustained gun-shot wounds from the suspect.”

Witnesses said that loved ones and onlookers anxiously waiting outside the school as the gunman was inside shooting teachers and students urged police who were outside to go in and try to stop the shooter.

Some also suggested they take it upon themselves to attempt to overpower the gunman. Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said the gunman could have been in the school for 40 minutes to an hour.

“I understand questions are surfacing regarding the details of what occurred,” Rodriguez said. “I know answer will come fast enough during this trying time, but rest assured that with the completion of the full investigation, I will be able to answer all the questions that we can.”

The graduation ceremony for Uvalde High School has been postposed, officials said Thursday. 

“Out of the deepest respect for the families and our community affected by the tragedy we have experienced, the Uvalde High School Graduation Ceremony has been postponed,” the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District said. “This is a difficult time for everyone. Please keep all families in your prayers.”

The district canceled all remaining classes for the school year following Tuesday’s mass shooting. A new date for the ceremony has not been announced.

A resident of Uvalde, Texas
tells Fox News Digital that police officers were on the scene and in the building the “entire time” attempting to subdue alleged school shooter Salvador Ramos as questions arise over how long it took law enforcement to neutralize the shooter.

“I know my brother says they were inside the building the entire time,” Patricia Chapa, who says her brother is a police officer in Uvalde, said. “They just never had him at the right angle. He had them in the wrong spot.”

Chapa added, “They were in there, they were in the hallway, they just couldn’t get in there fast enough. But, they also couldn’t just rush in there like people think that it was so easy for them just to run in.”

Questions have surfaced regarding the timeline of events during Tuesday’s shooting, which left 19 children and 2 faculty members dead, after Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said on Wednesday that the gunman could have been in the school for 40 minutes to an hour before being shot and killed by law enforcement.

For more on this story: Sister of Uvalde officer: Police were inside building ‘entire time’ trying to get ‘right angle’ on shooter

Law enforcement began an examination of the police response to the school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Thursday.

Police have faced scrutiny in the wake of the shooting following reports that officers waited up to an hour before breaching the classroom where attacker Salvador Ramos murdered 19 children and two teachers.

The examination will reportedly include a timeline of events based on radio traffic from responding officers, among other factors.

Juan Carranza, 24, a witness and parent of one of the victims, said he and other bystanders urged police to pursue Ramos to no avail. His daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack.

For more on this story: Law enforcement now ‘examining’ police response to Uvalde attack

A new video has emerged Thursday showing how close gunman Salvador Ramos crashed his vehicle before heading into Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

The clip, first posted on TikTok, shows Ramos’ truck crashed in a ditch.

It then pans left to reveal Robb Elementary just down the road, surrounded by crime scene tape and first responder vehicles.

Uvalde officials are set to hold a press conference a 2 p.m. ET about the Robb Elementary School shooting.

A vigil is scheduled Friday in Lubbock, Texas, to honor the 19 children and two teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting this week.

The event, called “LBK Lights for Uvalde”, will be held at Charles A. Guy Park at 8:30 p.m. local time.

Attendees are encouraged to bring flashlights, neon lights and cellphone lights, KCBD reports.

A medical assistant who rushed to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday after hearing about the shooting encountered a girl covered in blood saying “he shot my best friend” — only to later learn she was referring to his stepdaughter. 

Angel Garza was among those on-scene as children were fleeing the building, according to the Associated Press. 

“I’m not hurt. He shot my best friend,” one girl reportedly told Garza when he offered help. “She’s not breathing. She was just trying to call the cops.” 

Her friend was Amerie Jo Garza — Angel Garza’s stepdaughter. 

Amerie was described by her family as a happy child who made the honor roll and loved to paint, draw and work in clay.  

“She was very creative,” said her grandmother Dora Mendoza. “She was my baby. Whenever she saw flowers she would draw them.” 

The student had just gotten her first cellphone for her 10th birthday, the Associated Press reports. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

UVALDE, Texas – The grandfather of accused Texas school shooter Salvador Ramos said Thursday his daughter – the suspect’s mother – is “feeling bad for everybody,” but added: “She lost her son, too.” 

Rolando Reyes spoke briefly with Fox News Digital outside his Uvalde, Texas, home on Thursday morning, just days after Ramos, his 18-year-old grandson, allegedly shot and killed 19 students and two teachers at nearby Robb Elementary School before law enforcement fatally wounded him. 

Prior to the school massacre, Ramos allegedly shot his grandmother in the face and sent Facebook messages that stated, “I’m going to shoot my grandmother,” “I’ve shot my grandmother,” and then: “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”

For more on this story: Texas school shooting suspect Salvador Ramos’ mom ‘feeling bad for everybody’ but ‘lost her son, too’: Grandpa

The Donna Independent School District in Donna, Texas, announced Wednesday night that it will be canceling school district-wide on Thursday and Friday after receiving a “credible threat of violence.”

No details were immediately released about what type of threat was made, although the district said it is currently under investigation.

“The safety and security of our students and staff is our first priority,” the announcement said. “Classes will resume Tuesday morning.”

For more on this story: Texas school district closes schools after receiving ‘credible threat of violence’

The father of a Parkland shooting victim after the Uvalde school massacre said threatening students need to be held accountable and criticized failures within the mental health care system.

“Crimes need to be dealt with,” Andrew Pollack, who became a school safety advocate after his daughter was killed, told Fox News. “And when they’re not dealt with, when these kids get older, they just commit more crime, more felonies.”

“If they’re not held accountable at a young age, it’s just going to get worse,” he said. “There’s not going to be one gun law that’s going to work if you don’t arrest criminals for making threats.”

For more on this story: Parkland father urges officials to hold threatening students accountable, criticizes mental health system

The gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers in the Uvalde mass shooting told a classroom of children that “it’s time to die,” according to a fourth-grader who survived the attack. 

The chilling words allegedly uttered by Salvador Ramos inside Robb Elementary on Tuesday were revealed by a 9-year-old who spoke to KENS 5, describing how he hid under a table during the shooting rampage. 

“He shot the next person’s door. We have a door in the middle. He opened it. He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, ‘It’s time to die,'” the student told the station. “When he shot, it was very loud and it hurt my ear.” 

For more on this story: Salvador Ramos told classroom ‘it’s time to die,’ survivor says

Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented Thursday morning on gun control measures following Tuesday’s Texas elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two adults.

In a tweet, Musk gave his opinion that assault rifles should, at minimum, require a special permit, where the recipient is “extremely well vetted.”

For more on this story: Musk favors some gun control, calls for special assault rifle permits for ‘extremely well vetted’ people

Jose Flores loved baseball, family and going to school, his uncle uncle Christopher Salazar said.

“He was a very happy little boy,” Salazar told the Washington Post. “He loved both his parents … and loved to laugh and have fun,” He “loved going to school.”

Just hours before the shooting Tuesday, Flores received an award for making the honor roll.

Makenna Lee Elrod, 10, was one of the 19 children killed in the shooting.

Her aunt,  Allison McCullough, called her “beautiful, funny, smart and amazing.”

“Her smile would light up a room. We will carry her in our hearts and we know she is with our Lord and Savior,” McCullough wrote on a fundraising page for her family.

Her sister tweeted “My baby sister has finally been found in a classroom… thank you for everyone sending their love to my family and I. All I ask is that you hug your loved ones tonight and tell them you love them, you never know when you won’t have the chance to anymore.”

Salvador Ramos allegedly shot his grandmother in the face on Tuesday morning, then drove to an elementary school in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas and murdered 19 children and two adults.

Ramos’s mother, Adriana Reyes, was in disbelief that her son was capable of such violence on Tuesday evening, telling her boyfriend’s mother hours after the attack that she was still looking for Ramos and didn’t think that the 18-year-old would shoot his grandmother, according to Maria Alvarez.

Maria Alvarez’s son, Juan, has been dating Reyes for about a year. Reyes went to San Antonio with her wounded mother immediately following the shooting but returned to Alvarez’s home in Uvalde looking for her boyfriend that evening, seemingly in shock about the tragedy that had just rocked the small town.

For more on this story: Mother of Texas school shooter was in disbelief about son shooting grandmother, boyfriend’s mom says

Beto O’Rourke on Wednesday criticized Texas Gov. Greg Abbott for attending a campaign fundraiser hours after the deadly shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead in Uvalde unfolded.

“He was counting dollars while they were counting bodies,” O’Rourke, who is running against Abbott for governor, tweeted.

Abbott acknowledged he went to the event but said he only stopped by to say he couldn’t stay because of the shooting.

“On the way back to Austin, I stopped and let people know that I could not stay, that I needed to go and I wanted them to know what happened and get back to Austin so I could continue to my collaboration with Texas law enforcement,” Abbott said during a press conference, according to the Texas Tribune.

His team says all of his campaign events have since been canceled.

O’Rourke also disrupted an Abbott press conference earlier in the day, saying the shooting “is on you” before he was escorted out. 

For more on this story: Beto O’Rourke criticizes Abbott for attending campaign fundraiser after Texas school shooting

Witnesses said that loved ones and onlookers anxiously waiting outside Robb Elementary on Tuesday as the gunman was inside shooting teachers and students urged police who were outside the school to go in and try to stop the shooter.

Some also suggested they take it upon themselves to try and stop him.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said the gunman could have been in the school for 40 minutes to an hour.

“Go in there! Go in there!” a woman shouted to officers soon after the shooting happened, witness Juan Carranza, 24, said. He lives across the street from the school. “There were more of them. There was just one of him,” he said.

But he said the officers stayed outside.

Javier Cazares went to the school after hearing about the shooting because his daughter went to school there.

He said he suggested a group of civilians “rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to. More could have been done. They were unprepared.”

His daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, died in the attack.

Officials say the shooter “encountered” a school district security officer outside the school, though there were conflicting reports from authorities on whether the men exchanged gunfire.

After running inside, the gunman fired on two arriving Uvalde police officers who were outside the building, said Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine. The police officers were injured.

He then went inside a classroom and began killing.

The gunman wasn’t killed for the better part of an hour until a Border Patrol team tactical unit (Uvalde is near the Mexican border) arrived and shot him.

A person who spoke on condition of anonymity said Border Patrol had trouble opening the locked door and a staff member had to get a key. 

McCraw told reporters that 40 minutes to an hour elapsed from when Ramos opened fire on the school security officer to when the tactical team shot him, though a department spokesman said later that they could not give a solid estimate of how long the gunman was in the school or when he was killed.

“The bottom line is law enforcement was there,” McCraw said. “They did engage immediately. They did contain (Ramos) in the classroom.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

For more on this story: Who are the victims killed at Uvalde elementary school?

Nevaeh Bravo was one of 19 children killed on Tuesday when a gunman entered her Robb Elementary Classroom.

Her death was confirmed by her cousin’s social media, according to local reports.

“Unfortunately my beautiful Nevaeh was one of the many victims from today’s tragedy… Rest in peace my sweet girl, you didn’t deserve this,” the post read.

For more on this story: 
Who are the victims killed at Uvalde elementary school?

Co-teachers Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia were killed when the gunman came inside their classroom and began shooting. Nineteen students as young as 8 years old were also killed.

The pair had been a teaching team for five years at Robb Elementary.

For more on this story: Who are the victims killed at Uvalde elementary school?

Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed at Robb Elementary on Tuesday.

She taught at Robb Elementary for more than 20 years and had been a co-teacher with Eva Mireles, who also died, according to the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District.

She was married with four children, according to her district biography.

She enjoyed barbecuing with her family, listening to music and traveling to Concan, Texas. Her eldest son, Cristian was completing Marine Corps boot camp and another is a student at Texas State University. She also had two daughters, Lyliana, who is a high-schooler and Alysandra, who is in middle school.

For more on this story: Who are the victims killed at Uvalde elementary school?

Beto O’Rourke tweets from the Uvalde vigil Wednesday night, saying it reminds him of the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in his hometown of El Paso that left 23 people dead. Twenty-one people, including 19 children, were killed Tuesday.

“This community won’t let anyone go through this alone,” he wrote.

Sen. Marco Rubio calls for a ‘multidisciplinary’ approach to preventing school shootings on ‘Jesse Watters Primetime.’

Residents of Uvalde, Texas, attended a prayer vigil Wednesday evening for the 19 students and two teachers lost in the Robb Elementary School shooting.

Mourners in Uvalde gathered Wednesday to remember the 21 victims killed in a mass shooting that has shaken the rural Texas town.

The prayer vigil came a day after 19 schoolchildren and two teachers were gunned down Tuesday. Vigils were also held in other cities throughout the states, including San Antonio and Austin.

In a tweet hours before the vigil, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said “families are broken apart” and “hearts are forever shattered.”

Sandy Hook Promise CEO Nicole Hockley, whose own son was a Sandy Hook victim, addressed the families who lost loved ones at Robb Elementary School in the Uvalde, Texas, shooting on “Your World.”

To read more of this story: Mother of Sandy Hook victim sends message to parents of Texas school shooting victims

The loved one of a teacher slain in Tuesday’s Uvalde, Texas, school shooting – which resulted in the death of 19 elementary school kids and two adults – is remembering the woman as a “hero” as investigators continue to search for clues as to the gunman’s possible motive in the attack. 

Fourth grade teacher Eva Mireles “put love into everything she did – with her daughter, with her family, with the school – and I will always remember her, honestly, as a hero for doing what she did,” Amber Ybara told Fox News on Wednesday. 

To read more of this story: Slain Uvalde, Texas, school teacher Eva Mireles remembered as ‘hero’

A cap worn by a U.S. Border Patrol agent was struck by a bullet when he and a tactical team engaged a gunman who killed 21 people, 19 of them children, inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The shooter, identified by authorities as Salvador Ramos, 18, fired at the agent as he breached a room with other agents and a bullet struck the hat. Ramos was eventually killed.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection sources told Fox News the veteran agent is assigned to the Del Rio Sector in South Texas.

Many of the agents based in Uvalde, which sits near the U.S.-Mexico border, have children who attend the school. 

UVALDE, Texas – Rep. Tony Gonzales, who represents Uvalde, said Beto O’Rourke’s outburst during Gov. Greg Abbot’s update on the Texas shooting was “spewing rhetoric and hate” when the community needs unity.

“It’s sad to see politicians try to capitalize politically off of the death of innocent children,” Gonzales, a Republican, told Fox News.

To read more on this story: Rep. Tony Gonzales responds to Beto O’Rourke’s outburst during Greg Abbott’s Uvalde shooting update

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton discusses Beto O’Rourke’s outburst at the Uvalde school shooting press conference with Fox News Digital.

Uvalde Memorial Hospital on Wednesday said all the victims it received from the Robb Elementary School mass shooting were no longer in its facility.

The hospital said it received 15 patients in the emergency room, of which 11 were children, according to an update. Of the 11 children, four were transferred to other hospitals in San Antonio and seven were discharged.

Four adults were also treated – one was transferred and three were released.In addition to the patients that were treated, two children arrived to the hospital deceased.

“A check in the emergency room this morning indicated that none of those discharged from our emergency room yesterday had to return for further treatment overnight and currently we do not have any patients in-house that were involved in yesterday’s incident,” the hospital said.

Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke caused a firestorm Wednesday when he interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Republican, during a press conference in Uvalde to address a deadly mass shooting there.

Abbott spoke for roughly 10 minutes and then attempted to transfer the microphone to Lt. Gov. when O’Rourke approached the stage.

O’Rourke was seen pointing at the stage and arguing with officials before being kicked out. 

President Biden is planning to visit Uvalde, Texas where a gunman killed 19 schoolchildren and two teachers in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.

Administration officials told Reuters the trip could be as early as this weekend. White House officials were still working out the details. 

During a Tuesday night address to the nation, Biden called for changes to gun laws and expressed his heartbreak.

“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away,” he said. “There’s a hollowness in your chest, you feel like you’re being sucked into it, never able to get out. Suffocating. It’s never quite the same.”

Salvador Ramos, the alleged gunman accused of shooting his grandmother and then targeting dozens of victims – ultimately killing 19 children and two adults – at a Texas elementary school was known to be a loner who had quit his job just weeks before unleashing his attack, Fox News has learned. 

Ramos, an 18-year-old Uvalde, Texas, resident, legally purchased two AR-platform rifles on May 17 and May 20, and bought 375 rounds of ammunition on May 18, Texas Sen. John Whitmire told Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV, citing a briefing from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Read more on this story: Who is the Texas school shooter? What we know

The country’s most influential gun-rights group issued a statement offering its sympathies to the families and victims impacted by Tuesday mass shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school.

“Our deepest sympathies are with the families and victims involved in this horrific and evil crime,” the National Rifle Association said Wednesday. “Although an investigation is underway and facts are still emerging, we recognize this was the act of a lone, deranged criminal.”

The group also praised school officials as well as first responders and others who have offered their support and services to the victims and their families.

The NRA will host its annual Meetings & Exhibits conference in Houston from Friday through Sunday. Former President Trump is slated to speak at the event.

“As we gather in Houston, we will reflect on these events, pray for the victims, recognize out patriotic members, and pledge to redouble our commitment to making our schools secure,” the group said. 

FBI Director Christopher Wray on Wednesday said he feels for the families of the victims and the entire community of Uvalde, Texas impacted by this week’s mass shooting.

“I know you’re experiencing unimaginable pain and trauma. The entire FBI family feels your heartbreak and stands with you,” he said in a statement issued through the bureau.

He also praised the law enforcement officers and first responders who rushed to the scene where suspected gunman Salvador Ramos killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school. FBI agents are working with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Uvalde Police Department and other law enforcement agencies on the investigation, he said.

“On top of that, we’ve deployed national resources, including investigative and analytical support, evidence response and laboratory personnel, victim services professionals to assist families of the victims, and crisis management and behavioral analysis units,” said Wray.

“We’re absolutely heartbroken about yesterday’s tragic events and committed to doing our part to support our partners in the investigation and the Uvalde community as we begin to try to move forward,” he added.

UVALDE, Texas – Rolando Reyes, the grandfather of Texas school shooting suspect Salvador Ramos, told reporters on Wednesday that he feels for the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that left at least 19 students and two teachers dead.

“I feel for the victims and the families,” Reyes told reporters as he got in his vehicle Wednesday, adding that he’s “not happy about” his now-deceased grandson’s alleged actions on Tuesday.

For more on this story: Texas school shooting suspect Salvador Ramos’ grandfather says he feels for victims, families

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed a school police officer exchanged gunfire with the suspected shooter who unleashed fatal gunfire at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. 

Texas DPS confirmed to Fox News that the school officer was injured by gunfire, which allowed suspect Salvador Ramos to run inside the school and barricade himself. Ramos dropped a bag of ammunition at the entrance of the school as a result of the shootout, according to DPS. 

To read more, click here.

The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed a school police officer exchanged gunfire with the suspected shooter who unleashed fatal gunfire at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. 

Texas DPS confirmed to Fox News that the school officer was injured by gunfire, which allowed suspect Salvador Ramos to run inside the school and barricade himself. Ramos dropped a bag of ammunition at the entrance of the school as a result of the shootout, according to DPS. 

DPS added in a comment to Fox News that three local officers were wounded during the attack. 

For more on this story: SRO officer was in the school, exchanged gunfire with shooter

Failed Texas candidate Beto O’Rourke attempted to derail Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s response to the shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on Wednesday.

Abbott spoke for roughly 10 minutes and then attempted to transfer the microphone to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick when O’Rourke approached the stage.

O’Rourke’s words were not audible, but he was pointing aggressively at the stage even as those on it shouted him down.

For more on this story:
Beto O’Rourke derails Gov. Greg Abbott update on Uvalde shooting

Democrat Beto O’Rourke engaged in a fiery exchange Wednesday with Texas Lt. Gov Dan Patrick during Gov. Abbott’s press conference about the Uvalde shooting. 

O’Rourke, who is running for governor of Texas, approached the front of the room and started making comments to Abbott and Patrick. 

“You are doing nothing,” O’Rourke was heard telling them at one point. 

O’Rourke was asked repeatedly to leave the auditorium. 

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin then called O’Rourke a “sick son of a b—-” who came to the event to make a “political issue.” 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the three police officers who were injured in the shooting are in good condition.

One deputy sheriff, he said, lost a daughter in the attack.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that a Border Patrol officer killed Salvador Ramos after the 18-year-old launched a shooting spree inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 

Abbott said Ramos had no known mental health history and used an AR-15 in the attack. 

About a half hour before the school shooting, Ramos started posting messages on Facebook, according to Abbott. 

“The first post was to the point of he said, ‘I’m going to shoot my grandmother.’ The second post was I shot my grandmother. The third post, maybe less than 15 minutes before arriving at the school, was I’m going to shoot an elementary school,” Abbott told reporters. 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that “Uvalde has been shaken to its core.” 

“Families are broken apart. Hearts are forever shattered,” he said. “All Texans are grieving with the people of Uvalde and people are rightfully angry about what has happened.” 

“What they need now more than ever is our love, what they need is uplifting from all of our fellow Texans and fellow Americans,” Abbott added. 

Abbott also said “the reason it was not worse was because law enforcement officials did what they do. They showed amazing courage by running toward gunfire to try to save lives.” 

A Uvalde parent whose 8-year-old son survived Tuesday’s shooting shared his feelings about the massacre that killed 19 students and two teachers.

“Yesterday, I was just full of emotions,” Guadelupe Leija told Fox News. “It’s heartbreaking. My heart goes out all the families that lost a loved one.”

“I mean, they’re kids,” he continued. “They’re babies.”

For more on this story: Uvalde parent whose child survived massacre reacts to horror of shooting

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is set to speak at 1:30 p.m. ET about the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

Watch Live: Gov. Abbott holding press conference to address Texas school shooting.

Two Robb Elementary School students who were missing hours after a horrific shooting at the school are among the 22 people who were killed, the families say.

The whereabouts of Elijah Cruz Torres, 10, were unknown in the aftermath of the second-deadliest mass shooting of a school in U.S. history since Sandy Hook Elementary. Her family confirmed the worst to Fox News Wednesday.

Annabelle Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, who did not make contact with her family in the hours after suspected gunman Salvador Ramos, a student of Uvalde High School, carried out his shooting spree, was also among those who died, her father told Fox 7 Austin.

For more on this story: Texas school shooting: Missing 10-year-old girls among those killed, families say

All of the victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas have been identified, Texas officials said Wednesday. 

The officials told Fox News that each of the victims’ families have been contacted. 

As of Wednesday, the death toll in Tuesday’s attack stood at 19 children and two teachers, while 17 remain injured. 

For more on this story: All victims identified, Salvador Ramos’ grandmother in serious condition

Investigators in Texas continued to hunt for a motive early Wednesday after a lone shooter entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and killed at least 19 students and two adults.

Lt. Chris Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) appeared on “America’s Newsroom” to give an update on what investigators have learned so far, and what questions still need answers surrounding the history and motive of 18-year-old shooter Salvador Ramos.

“We do know for a fact that there was no criminal history or no gang affiliation as well that would have set off any indicators for him to make this purchase [of a long rifle],” Olivarez said.

For more on this story: Texas school shooting investigators hunt for motive: ‘A lot of unanswered questions’

The teenager suspected of killing 19 children and two teachers inside a southwest Texas school legally purchased two rifles shortly after his 18th birthday and used one of them in Tuesday’s shooting.

Salvador Ramos, 18, legally purchased AR platform rifles on May 17, 2022 and May 20, 2022, according to a briefing from Texas Sen. John Whitmire on Wednesday. One of the guns was found in Ramos’s car outside the school and the other one was found with his body inside the school. Ramos reportedly turned 18 on May 16, according to ABC. 

Ramos also purchased 375 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, Whitmire and Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez told the Austin American-Statesman. 

For more on this story: Texas school shooting: Shooter legally purchased 2 rifles upon turning 18 days before shooting

Multiple police officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, were struck with gunfire by a suspect who “just began shooting anyone that was in his way,” a law enforcement officer revealed Wednesday. 

Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez, speaking on NBC’s “Today” show, said the events that led to the deaths of 19 students and two teachers began when Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother and then crashed a vehicle while fleeing that scene. Local police then got calls about an individual armed with a weapon making his way into the school, according to Olivarez. 

He said when law enforcement “tried to make entry into the building, they were met with gunfire by the suspect, by the shooter.  

For more on this story: Texas school shooting: New details emerge about police response, Salvador Ramos’ ‘evil’ nature

In the hours after a lone gunman killed 19 children and two adults at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, the victims have begun to be identified.

While some families made desperate pleas online to help find their missing children, other families mourned the loss of loved ones following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in the town of Uvalde, a seven-square-mile community located about 85 miles west of San Antonio.

Some names of those killed began to emerge by nightfall on Tuesday, many accompanied by photos of smiling children.

For more on this story: Who are the victims killed at Uvalde elementary school?

School districts across the U.S. are taking heightened security measures following a deadly mass shooting
at a Texas elementary school.

An 18-year-old high school student killed at least 19 children and two teachers during the tragic attack at Robb Elementary School in Texas, prompting responses to increase safety in the final weeks of the school year.

In Georgia, school and law enforcement officials in several counties made announcements hours after the shooting. Gwinnett County, the largest in the state and 13th largest in the country with nearly 200,000 students, will see police officers on campuses, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

For more on this story: Uvalde, Texas shooting response: School districts nationwide ramp up security

Pope Francis is speaking out Wednesday following the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, saying that “tragedies like this cannot occur again.” 

Francis, addressing his general audience at the Vatican, said he is “heartbroken about the massacre” and is praying for the 19 children and two adults who lost their lives after shooter Salvador Ramos opened fire Tuesday. 

“It’s time to say ‘Enough’ to the indiscriminate trade of weapons!” Francis added. 

For more on this story: Texas school shooting: Pope Francis says massacres like Uvalde ‘cannot occur again’

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy and several other world leaders offered their condolences to the United States on Wednesday for the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

The shooting left at least 19 children and two adults killed. Zelenskyy stated he was “deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent children in Texas.”

“The people of Ukraine share the pain of the relatives and friends of the victims and all Americans,” Zelenskyy tweeted.

For more on this story: Texas school shooting: Ukraine’s Zelenskyy, world leaders react, say they are ‘deeply saddened’

Uziyah Garcia, 8, was among the 19 children who were killed Tuesday following a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas. Two teachers at the school were also killed during the rampage.

Manny Renfro, young Uziyah’s grandfather, confirmed the death with the Associated Press.

“The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” Renfro said. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”

Renfro said he last saw Uziyah when the boy visited him over spring break.

“We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns. Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,” Renfro said. “There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Justice Department was utilizing its resources to aid local law enforcement agencies following a deadly shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“Today, another mass shooting has taken the lives of innocent victims, including elementary school children and their teacher. This act of unspeakable violence has devastated an entire community and shaken our country,” he said in a statement.

“FBI and ATF agents have responded to the scene, and the Justice Department is committed to providing our full support to our law enforcement partners on the ground in Texas and to the Uvalde community,” he added. 

And, “We join our fellow Americans in mourning this terrible loss and in their resolve to end this senseless violence.”

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Congress to take action following the “cold-blooded massacre” that took place Tuesday morning at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

“Words are inadequate to describe the agony and outrage at the cold-blooded massacre of little schoolchildren and a teacher at Robb Elementary School today,” Pelosi said in a statement. “The hearts of all Americans are broken as we pray for the families left forever shattered and a community left forever scarred.”

“This shooting stole the futures of children, who won’t experience joys of graduating from school, chasing a career, falling in love, even starting a family of their own. We hold close all who have lost a loved one to gun violence, as this horrible crime deepens their suffering,” she added.

“For too long, some in Congress have offered hollow words after shootings while opposing all efforts to save lives,” Pelosi continued. “It is time for all in Congress to heed the will of the American people & join in enacting the House-passed bipartisan, commonsense, life-saving legislation into law.”

Ukraine Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba responded to Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“Horrible news from Uvalde, Texas. Our deepest sympathy is with the victims and their families,” Kuleba tweeted. “As a nation that goes through the pain of losing innocent young lives, Ukraine shares the pain of our U.S. friends.”

“We stand in solidarity with you at this difficult time,” he added, tagging his U.S. counter-part Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his condolences and said he was “deeply saddened” following the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

“Deeply saddened by the news of the murder of innocent children in Texas,” he tweeted. “Sincere condolences to the families of the victims, the people of the US and @POTUS over this tragedy.”

“The people of Ukraine share the pain of the relatives and friends of the victims and all Americans,” he added.

The tweet came amid Ukraine’s ongoing defense of their country against Russian invaders and the same day Zelenskyy gave a nightly address where he said the current military struggle in Donbas is “extremely difficult.”

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton released a statement following the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

“My heart breaks for the families who sent their children and loved ones off to school today at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, whose lives will now never be the same,” Clinton said.

“We owe these families — and the families who have experienced similar losses, including as recently as last week in Buffalo — action,” he added

“Enough is enough. The American people overwhelmingly agree. Our elected leaders at the local, state, and federal levels, regardless of party, must find common-sense ways to keep our children and communities safe.”

“They can do so without touching the right to hunt, sport shoot, and keep guns for self-defense. Propaganda and paranoia have kept us from helping each other on this for too long. We can do — and be — better.”

He concluded: “The time to act is now.”

Authorities identified Salvador Ramos as the shooter who opened fire in Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. The 18-year-old shot and killed at least 19 students and two teachers, Fox News confirmed.

Ramos allegedly posted disturbing images online before the shooting, and apparently messaged a woman about his plans before he carried out the deadly attack. The Instagram account has since been taken down.

The same account allegedly sent alarming messages to a woman before the deadly attack. The first message, sent on May 12, asked, “You gonna repost my gun pics?”

For more on the story, click here: Who is the Texas school shooter? What we know

Uvalde School District Superintendent Hal Harrell said his “heart is broken” following the loss of at least 19 children and 2 adults in a school shooting Tuesday morning.

“My heart is broken today,” a visibly emotional Harrell told reporters later that afternoon, Reuters reported.

As investigators continue to unpack the series of events that led up to the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, Harrell said his community was appreciative of people praying for his “small community.”

“We’re a small community and we need your prayers to get us through this,” he added.

Fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles has been identified as one of the two adult victims in a school shooting that also left 19 children dead at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

A relative of Mireles said she will be remembered as a loving mother and wife.

“She was adventurous. I would definitely say those wonderful things about her. She is definitely going to be very missed,” said Amber Ybarra, 44, of San Antonio.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott will visit Uvalde Wednesday, the day after the second deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, Fox News has learned.

“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde,” Abbott said following the shooting. “Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering. We thank the courageous first responders who worked to finally secure Robb Elementary School.”

“I have instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to work with local law enforcement to fully investigate this crime. the Texas Division of Emergency Management is charged with providing local officials all resources necessary to respond to this tragedy as the state of Texas works to ensure the community has what it needs to heal,” he added.

The Dallas Mavericks and the Golden State Warriors held a moment of silence before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals for the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

A 4th grade student is still missing following a shooting incident at Robb Elementary School and her family fears the worst.

Hours after suspected gunman Salvador Ramos allegedly gunned down 22 people, including 19 children, 10-year-old Elijah Cruz Torres is still missing.

She has not made any contact with her family, who are worried she is dead, her grandfather told Fox News Digital.

The total number of dead from Tuesday’s shooting at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school has increased to 22 victims.

The Texas Department of Public Safety told Fox News that 19 children were killed as well as two teachers were confirmed dead.

The other person killed was the suspected gunman, Salvador Ramos.

Former President Barack Obama issued calls to support the families in Uvalde, Texas while also criticizing lawmakers for failing to prevent another mass shooting that killed 18 children at an elementary school Tuesday.

“Across the country, parents are putting their children to bed, reading stories, singing lullabies—and in the back of their minds, they’re worried about what might happen tomorrow after they drop their kids off at school, or take them to a grocery store or any other public space,” he said in a series of tweets.

“Michelle and I grieve with the families in Uvalde, who are experiencing pain no one should have to bear. We’re also angry for them,” he added. “Nearly ten years after Sandy Hook—and ten days after Buffalo—our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that have shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies.”

“It’s long past time for action, any kind of action. And it’s another tragedy—a quieter but no less tragic one—for families to wait another day. May God bless the memory of the victims, and in the words of Scripture, heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.

President Biden called for changes to gun laws Tuesday and expressed his heartbreak following a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas elementary school.

Biden, who learned of the shooting at Robb Elementary School while on Air Force One returning from his trip to Asia, said that “to lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away.

There’s a hollowness in your chest, you feel like your being sucked into it, never able to get out. Suffocating. It’s never quite the same.

To read more, click here.

An agent with the Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC), a specialized unit within the U.S. Border Patrol, is believed to have shot and killed the suspected gunman who killed 18 children and at least one adult at Robb Elementary school on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas.

The agent entered the school with a team while other law enforcement officers engaged with the suspect who was barricaded, Border Patrol sources told Fox News.

The agent was struck in the leg by either a bullet or shrapnel. 

BORTAC provides immediate response to high-risk incidents requiring special skills and tactics, according to the Border Patrol. The team has full-time members based in El Paso, Texas and non-full-time members throughout the United States. 

Vice President Kamala Harris called on leaders to take action following the deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday.

“Every time a tragedy like this happens, our hearts break and our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families,” Harris said.

To read more, click here.

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) in Texas had many security measures in place before Tuesday’s mass shooting that left at least 18 students and a teacher dead after a now-deceased suspect opened fire at Robb Elementary School. 

Simple settlement for instant in placeThe now-deceased suspect, Salvador Ramos, is accused of entering school grounds on Tuesday and opening fire, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. 

To read more,click here.

The father of a 10-year-old girl told Fox News his daughter was missing following a deadly shooting at an Elementary school that has claimed the lives of at least 18 children and two adults, including the suspected shooter who also died.

Annabelle Guadalupe Rodriguez is a student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and her photo was provided to Texas Rangers. 

The death toll in the Uvalde, Texas elementary school shooting is now 20, including 18 children and two adults, including the suspected gunman.

 President Biden spoke with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott where he offered “any and all assistance he needs” in the wake of the shooting in Uvalde.

White House Communications Director Kate Bedingfield tweeted an image of Biden on the phone with Abbott while aboard what appears to be Air Force One.

Biden will issue remarks about the shooting at 8:15 P.M. ET from the White House. 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, offered his prayers to families in Uvalde impacted by Tuesday deadly mass shooting while thanking law enforcement and first responders.

“Today is a dark day. We’re all completely sickened and heartbroken. As of now, 15 innocent people are dead. 14 were children. Others are still in critical condition or otherwise injured, and we are all praying for each of them,” he said in a statement. “I’m grateful for the heroes in law enforcement and first responders who responded to the scene and stopped the killer.”

“Heidi and I are lifting up in prayer the entire Uvalde community during this devastating time and we mourn the lives that were taken by this act of evil. None of us can imagine the anguish the parents in Uvalde are going through. Our hearts go out to them.

“We’ve seen too many of these shootings. No parent should have to bear the pain of burying their child. We need to come together, as one nation, and support Uvalde as they try to heal from this devastating loss.”

Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called the shooting at a Uvalde elementary shooting “every parent and teacher’s worst nightmare.” 

“No parent, child, or teacher should ever have to wonder whether it’s safe to go to school. This is an excruciatingly difficult time for the tight-knit Uvalde community and for all Texans as we mourn this terrible tragedy,” he said in a statement hours after the shooting. “My heart goes out to those in the hospital receiving care and to the loved ones of those who lost their lives. As a parent, the pain they must be feeling is unimaginable.”

“I am in touch with local officials in Uvalde and will continue to monitor the situation. I’m grateful to law enforcement and everyone who worked to stop the shooter and to the medical staff working now to prevent further loss of life.

President Biden on Tuesday ordered all American flags at the White House and public buildings be flown at half-staff to honor the victims of the Uvalde school shooting that took 15 lives, many of them children.

The order also applies to all military post, naval stations and vessels until Saturday at sunset.He will address the shooting at 8:15 P.M. ET from the Roosevelt Room in the White House.

The order came hours after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, about 80 miles west of San Antonio.

The shooter was killed. 

A shooting at a Texas elementary school killed 14 children and one teacher on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott said.

Abbott identified the suspect as Salvador Ramos, a Uvalde resident, who is also dead.The Texas Department of Public Safety and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told Fox News that the shooter – who ran to Robb Elementary School – had become barricaded inside during the unfolding shooting.