The mother of a teenage gunman who killed at least 21 people, including 19 children, at a Texas elementary school said her son “was not a violent person.”
Salvador Ramos, 18, shot his grandmother before traveling to Robb d’Uvalde Elementary School, where she opened fire on second, third and fourth graders.
Nineteen students and two teachers were killed in the shooting. Ramos was shot dead by authorities.
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From her grandmother’s hospital bed, Ramos’ mother, Adriana Reyes, said she had a good relationship with her son but admitted that “he was left alone and did not have many friends.”
“My son was not a violent person. I’m amazed at what he did, “Reyes told the Daily Mail.
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“I pray for these families. I am praying for all these innocent children, yes I am. They (the children) did not participate in this.”
Reyes added that the last time he spoke to Ramos was on his birthday last Monday.
But Juan Alvarez, 62, who has been in a relationship with Ramos’ mother for a year and is living with her, said Ramos had a tumultuous relationship with his mother, which often included fights.
Alvarez said Ramos left his mother’s home two months ago to live with his grandmother after an intense discussion with his mother over the disconnected Wi-Fi connection.
He added that Ramos would close and leave whenever he tried to start a conversation.
Salvador Ramos. Credit: Sunrise Salvador Rolando Ramos killed 19 children and two teachers in the Texas Elementary School massacre. Credit: Facebook / supplied
“It was a little weird. I never got along with him. I never socialized with him. He doesn’t talk to anyone,” he said. “When you try to talk to him, just sit there and walk away.”
Alvarez said Ramos had been acting on the sidelines for some time, but was “surprised” to learn he was the gunman in Tuesday’s shooting.
“It’s bad, man, it’s pretty bad. I’m sorry for the kids who died,” Alvarez said.
Rolando Reyes, Ramos’ grandfather who lived with Ramos and his grandmother, said he did not know his grandson had guns in the house, according to an interview in Spanish with The Associated Press.
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Reyes said he talked to his grandson daily and that “this was not expected” of Ramos, AP reported.
A woman who identified herself as the gunman’s aunt told NBC News that “misconceptions” have been spread about him.
“It simply came to our notice then. There was no one with him. I lived with him at home, as if no one knew why he was going through, like no one else, “said Shelby, who did not give his last name.
“Everyone has their own perspective on everything that’s going on, but no one knows what everyone else has. Everyone has things inside. People go through things that no one understands.”
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday the gunman had no known mental health history.
An anxious woman seen outside the school. Credit: 7NEWSThe shooting scene. Credit: ABC News
Abbott said “there was no significant prior notice of this crime” other than three messages on Facebook.
The first, published 30 minutes before the gunman arrived at the school, was intended to shoot his grandmother, Abbott said.
The second said he had shot his grandmother. The third was about the intention to shoot an elementary school. The final post was made less than 15 minutes after the gunman arrived at the school.
Andy Stone, a spokesman for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, said the messages were private one-to-one text messages that were found after the shooting.
Before the attack
Ramos is believed to have acted alone in the mass shooting.
Days before the attack, he sent a text message to a former classmate with photos of a firearm he had and a bag full of ammunition.
The friend, who did not want to be identified by his name, said he was a little “close” to Ramos and that he occasionally heard from him to play Xbox together.
“He sent me a message here and there, and four days ago he sent me a picture of the AR he was using … and a backpack full of 5.56 rounds, probably like seven magazines,” the friend told CNN.
“I said, ‘Brother, why do you have this? and said, “Don’t worry about it.”
A law enforcement officer talks to people outside Uvalde High School after a shooting was reported at Robb Elementary School. Credit: William Luther / AP
“He sent me a text message:” I look very different now. You wouldn’t recognize me. “
The friend said Ramos was mocked by others for the clothes he was wearing and his family’s financial situation, and that he was finally seen less in class.
“I wouldn’t want to go to school … and he left school slowly,” the friend said.
“He barely came to school.”
He said that after his own graduation he communicated less with Ramos.
But every few months, Ramos would text or ask to play on Xbox, he said.
A photo of two AR15-style rifles appeared on an Instagram account linked to Ramos just three days before Tuesday’s shooting.
Her TikTok page only has a single post of a mobile game, but the biography below her profile picture says, “Kids are scared (in real life).”
Ramos worked day shifts at a local Wendy’s store, with a manager describing him as “the quiet guy.”
“He didn’t really socialize with the other employees,” Adrian Mendes said.
“He just worked, cashed in and went in to get his check.”
– with NBC / CNN