Wednesday, May 25, 2022 · 1:27:49 PM EDT · Jessica Sutherland
Editor’s Note: This story is no longer being updated.
At least 18 students and three adults are dead after a gunman opened fire with what authorities believe were multiple weapons at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday. According to Gov. Greg Abbott, the gunman was killed by police following the attack. Two officers were injured but their condition is not serious, according to Abbott. The gunman abandoned his car and entered the school, which provides education for students from second through fourth grade. The school website asks parents to wait until they are notified to pick up students at a Civic Center that is being used for reunification.
Abbott said the 18-year-old suspect was a resident of Uvalde and “shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly” when he entered the school. The governor confirmed that the suspect was a current student at a high school in the district. He is believed to have shot his grandmother before heading to the elementary school. No mention has been made of a purported motive. Also unclear is if the gunman legally obtained any weapons he may have used in the shooting. Under certain circumstances, 18- to 20-year-olds are allowed to carry handguns.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022 · 1:00:30 AM +00:00 · April Siese
President Biden address the country Tuesday evening in a moving speech in which he slammed gun lobbyists and the manufacturing industry and called for more common sense gun laws, of which a majority of Americans approve.
“It’s time to turn this pain into action,” Biden said. “For every parent, for every citizen of this country, we have to make it clear to every elected official of this country: It’s time to act. It’s time for those who’ve struck or delayed or blocked the common sense gun laws, we need to let you know that we will not forget. We can do so much more, we have to do more.”
Abbott is facing criticism for past remarks about Texas lagging behind other states when it comes to firearm purchases. The governor appears not to be alone in his quest for arming seemingly every Texas resident. Attorney General Ken Paxton, who faces a runoff election against George P. Bush on Tuesday, told Newsmax he hoped to arm teachers.
“Having potentially teachers and other administrators who go through training and who are armed,” is what Paxton specifically suggested when questioned about a potential response to the mass shooting.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more information becomes available.
