The death toll from the shooting at an elementary school in Texas, USA, has risen to 21, including 19 children, according to CNN sources. The White House announced that President Joe Biden ordered flags at government buildings inside the country and abroad, including embassies, military bases, and ships, to be flown at half-staff in mourning for the victims. President Biden described the random shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as "another massacre" in the United States, noting that mass killings rarely occur in other countries.
In remarks following the shooting, Biden stated, "Losing a child feels like tearing a piece from your soul." He added that the feeling is "suffocating," according to CNN. The President also called for prayer for the victims and to "stand up against the gun lobby." He questioned, "When will we stand up against the gun lobby in the name of God? When will we do what we all know we must do from within?" He regarded the idea that an 18-year-old could enter a gun store and purchase assault weapons as wrong. Biden emphasized the need to turn this pain into action, advocating for every parent and citizen in the country to communicate to elected officials that it is time to act.
**Details of the Massacre**
Earlier, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that 14 children and one teacher were killed by an 18-year-old shooter at the elementary school in Uvalde before the police fatally shot him. Governor Abbott stated in a press conference that the attacker "horribly and inexplicably shot and killed 14 students and one teacher." He identified the suspect as Salvador Ramos (18), who was local, and noted that "he is dead, and it is believed that responding officers killed him." He mentioned that two police officers were injured in the exchange of gunfire with the suspect but their injuries were not serious.
The governor indicated that the shooter entered Robb Elementary School armed with a handgun and possibly a rifle. The shooting took place inside the school in Uvalde, which is about 130 km east of San Antonio, around 12:15 PM local time. The FBI has joined the investigation efforts, despite the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Director, Pete Arredondo, stating earlier that there was no evidence that the attacker was part of a group.
U.S. media reported that the attack also resulted in dozens of injuries, including a 66-year-old woman and several children. It was noted that the shooter was a former student of the school and had killed his grandmother before carrying out the attack. Robb Elementary School, where the incident occurred, has 535 students, 90% of whom are of Latino descent and about 81% come from low-income families, according to state data. Thursday was scheduled to be the last day of school before the summer break, but the school administration canceled all activities indefinitely following the incident.
In responses to the deadly shooting and the ongoing debate about gun ownership in the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris condemned the bloodshed, saying "Enough means enough," and called for action to restrict gun ownership. She expressed, "Our hearts are still breaking" over the continuous school shootings in America, adding, "We must have the courage to act," appealing to Congress to pass legislation imposing restrictions on the sale and possession of firearms.
Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat, pleaded with his colleagues in Congress to pass laws that would make such attacks less likely, stating, "What is the point of our work in Congress if we cannot solve an existential problem like gun violence?" For his part, Republican Senator Ted Cruz from Texas tweeted his gratitude to the "heroic law enforcement officers" and rescuers for their response during the "horrific shooting incident."
