The alleged shooter was killed, local police confirmed. He has been identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. It is believed that shooter acted alone.
Uvalde officials say the shooting started at 11:32 a.m. Tuesday at a building at Robb Elementary that houses 2nd, 3rd and 4th graders. All campuses were placed under lockdown due to the gunfire.
In an update at 4:15 p.m., officials said families of the deceased were being notified and services were being offered.
Several law enforcement agencies, including Bexar County Sheriff’s Office, San Antonio Police Department, FBI and Texas DPS, among others.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital officials told KENS 5 that 15 people were transported there. Earlier, the hospital reported two of those people were dead upon arrival.
Two other patients from this shooting, a 65-year-old woman and a 10-year-old child are in critical condition at University Hospital.
Uvalde CISD said parents could pick up their students up at the Willie DeLeon Civic Center for reunification.
Governor Abbott first confirmed the fatalities in a tweeted video around 3:30 p.m. saying in part:
“The shooter was Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde. It’s believed that he entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun, and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not confirmed according to my most recent report. He shot and killed, horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher. [the shooter], he himself, is deceased, and it’s believed that responding officers killed him.”
The White House also said President Biden was briefed on the news. “His prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event, and he will speak this evening when he arrives back at the White House,” Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said in a statement.
Approximately 25,000 people live in Uvalde County, a tight-knit community 85 miles west of San Antonio and 70 miles east of the U.S. Mexico border in Del Rio. According to the most recent U.S. Census data, about 73% of the population is Hispanic or Latino, and about 50% of residents live in a home where a language other than English is spoken. Robb Elementary School is in a residential neighborhood near the center of Uvalde.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital is about two miles from the school, but San Antonio’s University Hospital is the nearest Level 1 trauma center.
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KENS 5, the CBS television affiliate in San Antonio, is reporting at least two people are dead and multiple people were hospitalized after an active shooter situation at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The shooter reportedly also shot and killed his grandmother prior.
Uvalde is 215 miles southwest of Brownwood and 85 miles west of San Antonio.
According to KENS, Uvalde Memorial Hospital said they are also currently caring for several students in the emergency room.
At least two victims, a 66-year-old adult and a child, also were taken to a San Antonio hospital, about 80 miles away. University Health officials said the 66-year-old woman is in critical condition; the child’s condition is unknown.
At 12:17 p.m., Uvalde CISD officials said there was an active shooter at the school and that law enforcement was on site. All campuses were placed under lockdown due to the gunfire, and students and staff were reportedly safe in the building.
A news conference was planned for later in the afternoon, but a time and location were not yet known.
Visit kens5.com for more information on this story.