A shooting at an elementary school in Texas left 22 people dead, including an 18-year-old gunman. Nineteen of those killed were students, and two were teachers. Lt. Christopher Olivarez with the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN that all the victims were in the same fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary.
“Texans across the state are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde,” Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) said in a statement following the shooting, referencing the town where it happened. “Cecilia and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering.”
It wasn’t immediately clear how many people were injured in the mass shooting. Uvalde Memorial Hospital said earlier that 13 children were taken by ambulance or bus to that facility and another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition. It wasn’t clear how many of those people are still alive.
Uvalde is home to about 16,000 people and is the seat of government for Uvalde County. The town is about 75 miles (120 kilometers) from the border with Mexico and roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio.
According to Abbott, the gunman was a resident of the community. He entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle, and opened fire. Abbott said the shooter was likely killed by responding officers but that the events were still being investigated.
“I have instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to work with local law enforcement to fully investigate this crime,” Abbott said. “The Texas Division of Emergency Management is charged with providing local officials all resources necessary to respond to this tragedy as the State of Texas works to ensure the community has what it needs to heal.”
The Texas elementary school shooting marks the second major mass shooting in the United States in as many weeks. Last week, a gunman opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 Black shoppers and workers in what officials have described as a hate crime.
