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Post by Admin on May 25, 2022 19:37:17 GMT
Details emerge about suspected gunman after Texas shooting l GMA 775,468 views May 25, 2022 Authorities revealed that the 18-year-old suspect legally purchased two AR-variant long guns within a week of his 18th birthday.
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Post by Admin on May 26, 2022 17:12:44 GMT
Victims remembered in Uvalde as investigation into school shooter continues 3,291 views May 27, 2022 An 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 21 people at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, according to officials. The gunman, who authorities said used an AR-style rifle, was eventually killed by law enforcement, who were able to break into the classroom. The official account of what happened during a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, is under scrutiny following the reporting of new details. At a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott praised police for their response to the massacre Tuesday that killed 19 kids and two teachers. A Border Patrol officer fatally shot the gunman, whom authorities identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. “The reality is, as horrible as what happened, it could have been worse," Abbott said. "The reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do. They showed amazing courage by running towards gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives. And it is a fact that because of their quick response getting on the scene, being able to respond to the gunman and eliminate the gunman, they were able to save lives. Unfortunately, not enough.” Greg Abbott and a dozen or so other people are on stage behind a table with microphones in front of a red curtain and American flag. However, the Associated Press reported late Wednesday that police waited outside the school for at least 40 minutes while parents and onlookers urged them to do something. “Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” Javier Cazares, whose daughter Jacklyn was killed in the attack, told the AP. “More could have been done.” “There were five or six of [us] fathers, hearing the gunshots, and [police officers] were telling us to move back,” Cazares told the Washington Post. “We didn’t care about us. We wanted to storm the building. We were saying, ‘Let’s go,’ because that is how worried we were, and we wanted to get our babies out.” A nearly seven-minute video posted to social media seems to support the AP’s story, showing police restraining parents outside the school, including holding one person on the ground. Uvalde, a small city of about 16,000 people, spends roughly 40% of its annual city budget on police. Police said the shooter had barricaded himself inside the school, but the AP reported that he barricaded himself by locking the door. Border Patrol had difficulty breaching the locked classroom door and had to get a staff member with a key to unlock it.
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Post by Admin on May 26, 2022 19:01:18 GMT
Community members are mourning and law enforcement is still looking for answers two days after an 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two adults at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. On Wednesday, officials released new details about the gunman's actions before and during the shooting, though they are still looking for a motive. Meanwhile, Uvalde residents gathered in an arena to honor the victims and comfort their neighbors. And as the nation reels, people are looking for ways to help the community and prevent future tragedies. Here's where things stand on Thursday morning. The shooter sent social media messages about his plans The gunman shot his grandmother in the face and posted on social media about it 15 minutes before fleeing and driving to Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott said at a Wednesday news conference. "Anyone who shoots his grandmother in the face has to have evil in his heart, but it is far more evil for someone to gun down little kids," he said. While the gun control debate amplifies, the overwhelming emotion in Uvalde is grief Investigators have not officially determined a motive behind the attack, but say the gunman sent three online messages on Tuesday warning about his plans. He first wrote that he was going to shoot his grandmother, and then that he had done so, Abbott said Wednesday. He said about 15 minutes before he reached Robb Elementary that he was going to shoot up an elementary school, though did not specify which one. Meta spokesperson Andy Stone later clarified that those messages were "private, one-to-one text messages that were discovered after the terrible tragedy occurred." Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — is cooperating with law enforcement's ongoing investigation, he added.
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Post by Admin on May 26, 2022 20:02:31 GMT
CNN and The New York Times report that the gunman allegedly sent a series of messages to a teenage girl living in Frankfurt, Germany, whom he had met online. She provided screenshots to both outlets, though NPR has not verified those messages independently.
The 15-year-old – whom the Times identified only as "Cece" – said the two began talking on social media earlier this month.
The gunman told her on Monday that he had received a package of ammunition that would expand on impact, she said, adding that she asked what he was planning and was told it would be a surprise. She said that he has also showed her – on a video call, of which she provided screenshots — a black bag that appeared to hold many magazines of ammunition and at least one firearm.
The Times says that the two spoke on a video call on Tuesday morning, and that the gunman — who was wearing all black — said he couldn't tell her his secret until his grandfather left the house. He later texted her that he was waiting for his grandmother, who he said was "on the phone with AT&T" about his cell phone. Some 15 minutes later, he texted that he had shot her.
Witnesses shouted at arriving officers to go in Approximately 40 minutes to an hour passed from when the gunman first arrived at Robb Elementary and fired a shot at a security guard to when he was killed by a Border Patrol agent, according to The Associated Press.
Witnesses shouted at police to go into the school after the gunman, but the officers did not do so initially.
A child trauma expert explains how parents can support kids in Uvalde and elsewhere Juan Carranza, who lives across the street from the school and saw the gunman pull up in a truck, eventually suggested to the civilians gathered outside that they charge the school building as law enforcement waited, AP reported.
Texas Rangers are leading the investigation into the shooting, Abbott said.
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Post by Admin on May 26, 2022 20:43:21 GMT
Former congressman Beto O'Rourke interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's remarks As Abbott prepared to close his remarks at Wednesday's news conference, former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke interrupted the governor.
"You are doing nothing," O'Rourke said. "This is totally predictable. You're all doing nothing."
A variety of responses can be heard in the background, including, "sit down," "you're out of line and an embarrassment" and "let him talk."
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said, "I can't believe you're a sick son of a b**** to come to a deal like this to make a political issue."
O'Rourke, who is running against Abbott in the state's 2022 gubernatorial election, then left the auditorium.
He spoke to media outside the auditorium about Abbott, saying, "The only thing he did was make it easier to carry a gun in public. And he bragged about the fact that there would be no background check, no training, no vetting whatsoever. He talked about 'this was evil.' The only thing evil is what he continues to do to the people of this state."
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