Nineteen children and two adults have died after a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in South Texas.
Per BBC News, the shooting took place at Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde.
Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Chief of Police Pete Arredondo has said that the shooting took place at 11:32AM (local time) on Tuesday, May 24.
Investigators say that the 18-year-old suspect reportedly entered the school carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle, high-capacity magazines, and a handgun.
The teen is also suspected of shooting his grandmother prior to entering the school. CNN reports that she is in critical condition, per Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has named the suspect as Salvador Ramos. Local media report that the 18-year-old was potentially a local high school student.
Abbott added that Ramos allegedly crashed a vehicle near the school before entering the elementary school to "horrifically" and "incomprehensibly" open fire. The suspect was reportedly able to enter several classrooms during the rampage.
Estrada told CNN: "The suspect did crash near a ditch nearby the school. That's where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that's when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement."
At this time, investigators believe the attacker "did act alone".
The gunman was shot dead by law enforcement officers, officials have said. Two border agents were reportedly shot in an exchange with the gunman, but are now both in a stable condition.
Fox 11 has reported that one of the adults killed in the shooting was fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles.
Tom Nordwick, a spokesperson for the Uvalde Memorial Hospital has said that 13 children and a man in his 40s were being treated for injuries.
Additionally, University Hospital in San Antonio has said in its most recent tweet that staff are treating a 66-year-old woman, two 10-year-old girls, and a nine-year-old girl at this time.
Tuesday's shooting marks the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in 2022 and is the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012, per CNN.
Robb Elementary School is a predominantly Hispanic school and teaches children between the ages of seven and 10. It currently has nearly 500 students enrolled.
The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) are assisting local and state authorities with the ongoing investigation into the shooting.
Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the victims and anybody else affected by this tragedy.
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