Nineteen students and two teachers are dead after a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott says. The gunman, an 18 year-old man, was fatally shot by police.
Uvalde police said the shooting happened in Uvalde -- about 85 miles west of San Antonio.
An active shooter was reported at Robb Elementary School, which has an enrollment of just under 600 students, Uvalde Consolidated ISD said. CBS News reported a teacher was shot on the campus, but their condition was not immediately available.
Abbott said the shooter, identified as Salvador Ramos, exited a vehicle and entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle. He issued the following statement Tuesday afternoon.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. 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.”
The suspect allegedly shot his grandmother before he went to the school, according to ABC News.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital said in a Facebook post that it was caring for "several students" in its emergency room, but it did not detail the nature or severity of their injuries.
Earlier Tuesday, the district said all its schools were locked down because of gunshots in the area. All students were being taken to the Civic Center where parents were to be given the all-clear before being allowed to pick them up.
A heavy police presence surrounded the school Tuesday afternoon, with officers in heavy vests diverting traffic and FBI agents coming and going from the building. School and city officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The district said that the city’s civic center was being used as a reunification center.
In a statement released on Tuesday afternoon, President Biden ordered that flags across the United States be flown at half-staff:
"As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on May 24, 2022, by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, May 28, 2022. I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations."
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