Robb shooting claims 19 children, 2 teachers
Jun 1, 2022
Uvalde (Texas) Leader-News
At least 21 people, including 19 children and two teachers, were killed Tuesday, May 24, after an 18-year-old armed with a semi-automatic rifle barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School and opened fire.
Parents were waiting late into Tuesday night for their slain children to be identified, some giving DNA to officials to assist in the identification process. Many of those same parents had been on the school campus shortly before the shootings for an awards ceremony.
Two female teachers were killed in the shooting, and a male teacher was taken to a San Antonio hospital for treatment of gunshot wounds, but was reportedly in stable condition yesterday morning.
Two law enforcement officers received minor gunshot wounds but are in stable condition, according to statements made by Sgt. Erick Estrada, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The shooter, Salvador Ramos, who had attended Uvalde High School, was killed by law enforcement.
“It is believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School with a handgun, and he may have also had a rifle,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday afternoon.
“He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher,” Abbott said Tuesday, before the numbers were updated.
The incident began around 11:32 a.m. at the Robb campus, which houses grades two through four.
Ramos allegedly shot his grandmother in the area of Diaz and Grove streets, before attempting to flee and crashing his truck in a ditch near the school. He then ran into Robb Elementary School, which houses approximately 587 students in the second- to fourth-grade.
At approximately 1:06 p.m., Uvalde Police Department announced the suspect had been apprehended. During the standoff with police, windows were broken out of the school to evacuate children from classrooms.
At 2:47 p.m., Uvalde Memorial Hospital announced via social media they had received 13 children for treatment. Three of those children were transferred to San Antonio hospitals. UMH CEO Tom Nordwick said as of Wednesday morning all patients received by the hospital had been discharged or transferred.
A man who moments before had been wringing his hands behind his head throws them into the air as a student makes a beeline across the Robb Elementary campus toward him. While some parents were reunited with their children at the scene after Tuesday’s devastating school shooting, most were directed to wait at the Willie De Leon Civic Center so the school could account for its student population.
University Health hospital in San Antonio said it had four patients from the shooting incident, including a 10-year-old girl and Ramos’ 66-year-old grandmother, who were both in serious condition. A 9-year-old girl and another 10-year-old girl were reported to be in good condition, and the hospital said all pediatric patients had family with them yesterday morning.
The San Antonio Children’s Hospital also reported treating Robb students.
Brooke Army Medical Center posted on Twitter that two patients involved in the shooting were in critical condition.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District chief of police Pete Arredondo said at a press conference Tuesday afternoon that the mass casualty incident also led to multiple injuries of adults and students.
“And at this point the investigation is leading to tell us that the suspect did act alone during this heinous crime. Families are being notified, and we are providing services to them as the district should,” Arredondo said.
All Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District campuses, as well as Sabinal and La Pryor schools, went on lockdown after the incident.
“As far as the rest of the district is concerned, safety measures were taken to make sure that we had a safe release for the rest of the district,” Arredondo said.
“We had numerous law enforcement officers and agencies that assisted with the safety release for the students. We do want to keep all their families in our prayers.”
Families of victims were being notified on Tuesday afternoon, when the press conference was held. No names have officially been released, although families have started announcing the deaths of their loved ones.
Arredondo said during the 2.5-minute press conference, which was live streamed on the Uvalde Police Department and UCISD Facebook pages, that the Texas Department of Public Safety is assisting with the investigation.
In another press conference held Tuesday evening, UCISD Superintendent Hal Harrell announced Uvalde schools, who had instruction scheduled through today, had been closed for the year. La Pryor school also closed.
“This was a tragic and senseless event today, and my heart broke today. Our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with all our families as we go through this day and days to come,” Harrell said.
Harrell said grief counselors were being made available at the civic center to students as well as the community.