As the United States still grapples with the shock from the massacre committed by Salvador Ramos at an elementary school in South Texas, where he killed 19 children and two teachers, his mother has broken her silence. Adriana Reyes claimed in her first statement that her son "wasn't violent," expressing her surprise at his involvement in what she described as a "horrific killing spree" at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday.
She asserted that her son was lonely and didn't have many friends, denying reports suggesting a toxic relationship with him, as revealed in an exclusive interview with the British newspaper "Daily Mail." She pointed out that she had a good relationship with him.
Conversely, she did not address allegations that she was a drug addict and that her son had abandoned her to live with his grandmother, Celia Gonzalez, who is currently hospitalized after her grandson shot her at home before committing his horrific act. While she remains in critical condition, investigators hope she will survive to disclose the motive behind the shooting.
It is noted that Ramos purchased two AR-15 rifles and boasted about them on social media, hinting that he would commit atrocities before carrying out the deadly attack. In this context, his grandfather, Rolando Reyes, confirmed that the family had no idea about the legal purchase of the firearms the previous week, saying, "If I had known, I would have reported it." He also claimed that his grandson was a quiet teenager who spent most of his time alone in his room, adding that he was not a violent person and emphasizing his shock at what he did.
**Warning Moments Before**
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced on Wednesday evening that the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers warned in an online message that he would shoot up an elementary school just minutes before doing so. Abbott added that the gunman sent another message stating he would shoot his grandmother, indicating that another person confirmed that he had done so.
Investigators stated that the boy cornered the victims in a single fourth-grade classroom in the deadliest incident in nearly a decade. In an interview, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman Chris Olivarez told CNN that police surrounded Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and broke windows in an attempt to evacuate children and teachers. Eventually, officers stormed the classroom and killed the gunman.
It is worth noting that Ramos began his killing spree by shooting his grandmother at home first, then headed to the nearby school where he crashed his car and entered the building wearing body armor and carrying a rifle. This bloody attack occurred just 10 days after 13 people were shot at a grocery store in a predominantly Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, prompting President Joe Biden to call for stricter gun laws in a speech to the American public.
