Teen kills 19 kids, 2 teachers in Texas

Houston, May 25

In one of the worst school shootings in the US, an 18-year-old gunman in body armour massacred at least 21 persons, including 19 kids and two adults, inside a classroom at a Texas elementary school, prompting President Joe Biden to issue an appeal to lawmakers to “turn this pain into action” to enact tougher gun laws to curb such recurring tragedies.

Editorial: Texas bloodbath

The youth opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde town, Texas, 134 km from San Antonio, on Tuesday morning before he was killed by law-enforcement officers. All fatalities and injuries took place inside one classroom in Uvalde, according to Lt Chris Olivarez, spokesperson for the Texas Department for Public Safety.

Have to act: Biden

When are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When will we do what needs to be done? US President

The shooter barricaded himself in one room, killing two teachers and 19 children.

“Just goes to show you the complete evil from this shooter,” Olivarez said, just 10 days after 10 persons were killed in a mass shooting at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York. All victims have been identified and their families notified, the lieutenant said. Several children were wounded inside the classroom, according to Olivarez, but there is no exact number as yet. “It’s a small classroom, you can have anywhere from 25 to 30 students in there, plus there were two teachers in there,” Olivarez said, adding that there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Investigators say the suspect was armed with a handgun, an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and high-capacity magazines.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott identified the killer as Salvador Ramos, a resident of the area where the school was located. The shooter’s motive remains unclear.

The teenager is suspected of injuring his grandmother at the start of the rampage, US media reports said.

Chief of Police, Uvalde, Pete Arredondo said the “mass casualty event occurred at Robb Elementary School at 11:32 this morning”. He said the killer acted as a lone wolf, who was shot dead in a police exchange.

The deceased children were in the second, third and fourth grades—aged between 7 years and 10 years, he said.

People in the largely Hispanic neighbourhood sat outside their homes after the shooting, some with their families while others gathered with neighbours.

In a prime-time address on Tuesday, a visibly emotional Biden asked what it would take to convince fellow lawmakers that “it’s time to act.” President Biden again tried to comfort a nation grieving after a mass shooting, urging action to counter powerful gunmakers and repeatedly questioning why the country he leads lacks “the backbone” to stem the bloodshed.

“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There’s a hollowness in your chest,” Biden said. Turning to the issue of gun control legislation, Biden implored lawmakers to “turn this pain into action” as he ticked through some of the mass shootings since the 2012 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, when he was Vice-President.

“I am sick and tired of it. We have to act. Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies?” he said.

In Uvalde, all schools were locked once the gunshots were heard.

Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvald is the second-deadliest school shooting since 2012, when 26 children and adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. — PTI

212 shootings in US this year

Suspect put up FB post before massacre; shot dead by cops

Mayhem on campus

May 2018 A 17-year-old at Houston school guns down 10

Feb 2018 A 20-year-old kills 14 students, three staffers in Florida

Oct 2015 A man kills 9 persons in Roseburg, then kills himself

Dec 2012 A 19-year-old kills 20 kids, 6 educators in Connecticut

April 2007 A 23-year-old student kills 32 persons on Virginia campus

April 1999 Two students kill 12 of their peers in Colorado before turning the gun on themselves

FB post before attack

The killer posted on Facebook that he was about to attack an elementary school.
He also posted about his plan to shoot grandmother. Another post confirmed that he did it.