At least 19 children and two adults were killed when a gunman opened fire on a Texas elementary school, authorities said Tuesday. Authorities said the shooter was killed at the scene by law enforcement.
“The updated numbers they gave me, from now on, told me 19 students, two adults, and then we also have the shooter who died,” the Texas Department of Homeland Security sergeant said. Erick Estrada told CNN’s Don Lemon on Tuesday night.
Authorities said the shooter entered Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas at about 11:32 a.m. local time after shooting his grandmother and crashing his vehicle near the school. A Texas Department of Homeland Security official said as he entered the school, the shooter fired at “children, teachers, who gets in his way.”
“He was shooting everyone,” the official said.
Estrada told CNN that Grandma had been in critical condition since Tuesday night.
The suspect, who was wearing armed armor, exchanged fire with law enforcement officers and several officers were shot, the official said. Eventually, the suspect was shot dead at the scene.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the shooter was an 18-year-old man who lived in Uvalde, an hour and a half west of San Antonio. He said the suspect, whom he named Salvador Ramos, abandoned his vehicle, then entered the school with a pistol and possibly a rifle and opened fire “in a horrible and incomprehensible manner”.
People are leaving Uvalde Civic Center after an early-day shooting at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. William Luther / AP
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the suspect had a handgun, an AR-15 assault weapon and high-capacity magazines.
The school teaches 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students, according to the head of the UValde CISD police, Pedro Arredondo.
Arredondo confirmed that the suspect is dead and said investigators believe he acted alone.
President Biden condemned the shooting in a speech Tuesday night.
“I was hoping that when I became president I wouldn’t have to do that again,” the president said. “Another massacre. Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, innocent second, third, and fourth graders. And how many young children witnessed what happened: they see their friends die, as if they were in a field. “God forbid. Sake. They’ll live with it for the rest of their lives.”
CBS News has learned that Customs and Border Protection officers were among members of law enforcement who exchanged gunfire with the shooter. A CBP agent was shot in the head. This agent has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.
“U.S. Border Patrol officers responded to a request for law enforcement assistance regarding an active shooter situation at Robb d’Uvalde Elementary School. Upon entering the building, the law enforcement officers and other law enforcement officers clashed with the subject, who was barricaded inside, “Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Catron Espinosa told CBS News in a statement.
A woman cries as she leaves the Uvalde Civic Center on Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. William Luther / AP
Uvalde Memorial Hospital previously said it received 13 children from ambulances and buses for treatment and that two people who arrived at the hospital died. A second hospital said it cared for a 66-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl, both in critical condition, a 10-year-old girl in good condition and a 9-year-old girl in good condition. condition. Another hospital said it cared for two adults, both also in critical condition.
South Texas Blood and Tissue said Tuesday it sent 15 units of blood to Uvalde.
At approximately 2:00 p.m. local time, the district said parents were allowed to pick up their children at the local civic center.
Pat Milton contributed to the report.