The last week of classes at Robb Elementary School ended in terror when a gunman opened fire, killing 21 people on Tuesday.
The victims included 19 students and two teachers. All of the victims have been identified by family as of Friday morning.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott identified the shooter as Salvador Ramos, 18, a high school dropout. He made his way into the building “unobstructed” through a door that was unlocked and was eventually killed by law enforcement more than an hour later, authorities said Friday.
Uvalde is about 85 miles west of San Antonio.
As the investigation continues, details are still being released about the victims, the motive, and the response from law enforcement.
As of around noon on Friday, here’s what we know about the shooting.
Gunman was at Robb campus for nearly 90 minutes
The following timeline is based on information received on Friday by DPS Director Steven McCraw.
- Tuesday morning - Ramos shot his grandmother in the face at their Uvalde home. While she reached out for help, he got inside her Ford pickup truck and made his way toward the school.
- 11:27 a.m. - A teacher at Robb elementary propped open an exterior door in order to retrieve a cell phone. The teacher who propped the door open walked back to the exit door, and the door remained propped open.
- 11:28 a.m. - Ramos crashed the pickup into a ditch behind the campus. Authorities said Ramos, clad in body armor, shot at two male witnesses across the street at the funeral home. The witnesses were not injured.
- 11:30 a.m. - A teacher who witnessed the shooting went inside the school and called 911.
- 11:31 a.m. - The suspect reached the last row of vehicles in the school parking lot. At this time, a school police officer responded to the funeral home for a call about a man with a gun. The officer drove right past the suspect who was hunkered down behind a vehicle.
- 11:32 a.m. - The suspect began shooting at the school’s exterior.
- 11:33 a.m. - The suspect walked to the west side of the elementary school and made entry through the door. He then went to room 111 or 112 and began to shoot. “It’s not possible to determine (the room) from the video angle that we have at this point in time. We do know this: that he shot more than 100 rounds based on the audio evidence at that time, at least 100 rounds,” McCraw said.
- Ramos locked the door and opened fire with an AR-15-style rifle. He was carrying multiple magazines. The shooter barricaded himself inside the room.
- 11:35 a.m. - Three police officers with Uvalde police entered the school, followed by three volunteer officers, and a deputy entered the school. The three UPD officers went to the door, which was closed, and received grazing wounds.
- 11:37 to 11:44 a.m. - There was gunfire from the shooter in the classroom.
- 11:43 a.m. - The elementary announced on social media that the school was on lockdown.
- 11:51 a.m. - FBI and a police sergeant arrived.
- 12:03 p.m. - Officers continued to arrive in the hallway. At this point, there were 19 officers inside the hallway outside the classroom.
- 12:03 p.m. - A girl called 911 from room 112 and was on the phone for one minute, 23 seconds.
- 12:10 p.m. - She called 911 again and advised that there were multiple dead in room 112.
- 12:13 p.m. and 12:16 p.m. - The girl called again.
- 12:15 p.m. - Members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit unit arrived with shields.
- 12:17 p.m. - The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District confirmed that there was an active shooter situation taking place.
- 12:19. p.m. - Someone in room 111 called and hung up when a student told her to do so.
- 12:21 p.m. - The suspect fired again, believed to be at the door, and law enforcement moved down the hallway.
- 12:36 p.m. - The initial female caller called 911 again and said “he shot the door.”
- 12:43 p.m. and 12:47 p.m. - She asked dispatch to “please send the police now.”
- 12:51 p.m. - Officers made entry by using a master key and fatally shot the suspect.
- 12:58 p.m. - Law enforcement radio chatter said Ramos had been killed by the Border Patrol team and the siege was over.
What happened in those 90 minutes has fueled mounting public anger and scrutiny over law enforcement’s response to Tuesday’s rampage.
On Friday, McCraw said the on-site commander made the “wrong decision.” McCraw said that commander was the chief of police for Uvalde CISD.
The on-site commander believed the gunman was barricaded in a classroom and that the children were not at risk, McCraw said.
“He was convinced at the time that there was no more threat to the children and that the subject was barricaded and that they had time to organize” to get into the classroom, McCraw said.
“Of course, it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision,” he said.
During a press conference Friday afternoon in Uvalde, Governor Greg Abbott said he was initially “mislead” about what unfolded during the elementary school massacre.
“I am livid about what happened,” Gov. Abbott said. “...Why did they not choose the strategy that would have been best to get in there, to eliminate the killer and to rescue the children?”
This comes after the governor praised law enforcement for their response on Wednesday, saying “it could have been worse. The reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do.”
Abbott added that he expects law enforcement leaders to “get to the bottom” of the investigation and to provide answers to the victim’s families.
“There are people who deserve the answers the most, and those are the families whose lives have been destroyed,” Abbott said. “They need answers that are accurate and it is inexcusable that they have suffered from any inaccurate information whatsoever.”
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin also addressed the misinformation and told reporters during the briefing that he too has been “confused” on how the situation was handled.
“As the governor said, I’m not in law enforcement. I’m the mayor of the city, but once we know what took place, what went down, we will get to the bottom of it,” McLaughlin said. “I have been just as confused as you are.”
21 people were killed, several wounded
Community members gather to honor 21 lives lost in Uvalde school shooting
The victims who died included 19 children and two teachers. As of Friday morning, they have been identified as:
- Irma Garcia, a fourth-grade teacher at Robb Elementary School. According to her school biography, she taught with fellow teacher Eva Mireles for five years. On Thursday, Irma Garcia’s husband, Joe, “passed away due to grief,” a nephew posted on Twitter. Irma Garcia’s husband, Joe, “passed away due to grief,” a nephew posted on Twitter.
- Eva Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher at Robb Elementary School. She worked as a teacher at UCISD for 17 years. According to her bio on the school’s employee page, Mireles was married to a Uvalde CISD police officer and had one daughter. She loved her pets and loved running and hiking.
- Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, 10, whose name, her aunt noted, is Heaven spelled backward. In a Facebook posting, Yvonne White described Nevaeh and her friend, Jailah, who was also killed, as “Our Angels.”
- Jackie Cazares, 10, was killed along with her cousin Annabell Rodriguez. They were cousins, friends and classmates in their fourth grade class at Robb Elementary.
- Makenna Lee Elrod, 10. Her aunt, Allison McCullough, confirmed her identity to ABC News. McCullough said Makenna loved to play softball, do gymnastics, sing and dance. “Her smile would light up a room,” she said.
- Amerie Jo Garza, 10. Her stepfather, Angel Garza, a medical assistant, rushed to the school to help. He immediately found a girl covered in blood among the terrified children streaming out of the building. “I’m not hurt. He shot my best friend,” the girl told Garza when he offered help. “She’s not breathing. She was just trying to call the cops.” Her friend was Amerie.
- Eliahna ‘Ellie’ Garcia, 9. Eliahna Garcia was “very happy and very outgoing,” her aunt, Siria Arizmendi, told the Associated Press. Arizmendi, an elementary school teacher in the same district, said the 10-year-old “loved to dance and play sports. She was big into family, enjoyed being with the family.”
- Uziyah Garcia, 10. Manny Renfro told the AP he got word Tuesday that his grandson was among those killed. “The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” Renfro said. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”
- Xavier Lopez, 10. His cousin told ABC News that Xavier’s mom was at his awards ceremony 1-2 hours prior to the shooting, not knowing it would be the last time she was seeing him.
- Tess Mata, 10. Tess’ mom said her daughter had the biggest smile ever and she wants her to be remembered “for the awesome little girl that she was.”
- Alithea Ramirez, 10. Her father, Ryan Ramirez, confirmed his daughter, Alithia, was one of the victims. She was in the fourth grade, loved to draw and wanted to be an artist. She had recently submitted a drawing for the Doodle for Google contest.
- Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was an honor student at Robb Elementary school. She was killed in the attack on the same day she received a good citizen award from her school, according to her family.
- Layla Salazar, 10. Layla had won six races at the school’s field day, the AP reported. “She was just a whole lot of fun,” said her father, Vincent Salazar, remembering how she danced to TikTok videos and sang along with him to the Guns N’ Roses song “Sweet Child O’ Mine” every morning on the way to school.
- Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11, and Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10, were cousins. “They were nothing but loving baby angels, always had a smile on their face just full of life,” their cousin said in a statement to ABC News. “I can’t believe this happened to our angels.”
- Eliahana Cruz Torres, a student.
- Rojelio Torres, 10, His aunt, Precious Perez, told KSAT: “Our entire family waited almost 12 hours since the shooting to find out Rojelio Torres my 10-year-old nephew, was killed in this tragedy. We are devasted and heartbroken. Rojer was a very intelligent, hard-working and helpful person. He will be missed and never forgotten.”
- Jose Flores Jr., 10. Jose Flores Jr. received this honor roll certificate at Robb Elementary School just hours before the shooting. Jose’s father, Jose Flores Sr., told CNN he went to the local hospital hoping to find out his son was just wounded but received the worst news. When he asked a Texas Ranger if he could see his son, the man told him “as a father, I wouldn’t let you go back there and see him. because he was not recognizable.”
- Maranda Mathis, 11. Her cousin, Deanna Miller, posted a tribute to Miranda on Facebook saying “my sweet baby cousin we loved u dearly I’m so sorry this happen to u baby please keep my family in your prayers.” In her obituary, her family described Maranda as having a huge, loving heart. “She was sweet, smart and a shy tom boy who enjoyed being within nature and spending time outdoors. Those who knew Maranda, knew her great imagination and often expressed her love for unicorns and mermaids, especially if they were her favorite color purple.”
- Maite Rodriguez, 10. Maite made the honor roll for straight As and Bs this year and was publicly recognized at an assembly on Tuesday, said Ana Rodríguez, her mother.
Uvalde Memorial Hospital said that they received 15 individuals for treatment, and two victims died upon arrival. All patients have either been discharged or transferred to University Hospital and Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, UMH said Wednesday morning.
University Hospital in San Antonio received four patients from the shooting, including the shooter’s 66-year-old grandmother, who was in critical condition but is now listed in serious condition.
University also received a 9-year-old girl who is in good condition as of Thursday, a 10-year-old girl who is in serious condition and a 10-year-old girl who is in good condition. BAMC received two adult patients in critical condition.
Two law enforcement officers were also injured.
Uninjured students were taken to the Willie DeLeon Civic Center, where they were later reunited with their parents.
Teen shooter dropped out of high school, governor says
The shooter, Ramos, lived in Uvalde and was a former student at Uvalde High School. Abbott said that he dropped out of school and would have been a senior.
About 30 minutes before the bloodbath, Ramos sent three messages online, Abbott said. Ramos wrote in the first that he was going to shoot his grandmother, then that he had shot the woman, and finally that he was going to shoot up an elementary school, according to Abbott. It was not clear whether Ramos specified which school.
Abbott said that Ramos had no known mental health issues or known criminal history. However, his classmates said that Ramos showed repeated signs of aggressive behavior, like wanting to start fights and sending intimidating messages on social media.
Over the years, he showed “immediate” red flags, classmates told ABC News.
“I would see them (TikTok videos) all the time and they would be like, ‘I could fight anyone, none of y’all can touch me ... I’m untouchable,’” Crystal Foutz, 17, said.
Other classmates told The Washington Post that he was bullied over a childhood speech impediment.
Investigators spent Tuesday night serving search warrants for his telephone and other records and attempting to contact his relatives.
Police face questions over response
On Thursday, law enforcement officers faced questions over their response time, as some parents and onlookers said too much time elapsed before they stormed the school.
Initially, there were conflicting reports on whether a school district security officer outside the school exchanged gunfire with Ramos. On Thursday, authorities confirmed that there was no interaction with an officer before Ramos made his way into the building.
There was actually no armed law enforcement officer on campus at the time, McCraw said.
A law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said the Border Patrol agents had trouble breaching the classroom door and had to get a staff member to open the room with a key. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.
During the attack, frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the school, according to witnesses.
“Go in there! Go in there!” women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan Carranza, 24, who watched the scene from outside a house across the street.
Javier Cazares, whose fourth-grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he raced to the school when he heard about the shooting, arriving while police were still gathered outside.
Upset that police were not moving in, he raised the idea of charging into the school with several other bystanders.
“Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” he said. “More could have been done.”
“They were unprepared,” he added.
Gunman sent messages to German teen before shooting
According to messages reviewed by ABC News, Ramos had sent a string of messages to a 15-year-old girl in Germany, who he met on the social media site Yubo. In them, he detailed how he shot his grandmother and was heading to the school for his next target.
In the messages, the gunman said he had an argument with his grandmother before texting “I shot my grandmother in the head” and immediately following that message with “ima go shoot up a elementary school rn,” according to ABC News.
A screenshot reviewed by ABC News revealed the teen from Germany had not replied to Ramos’ messages until news broke about the deadly mass shooting.
The 15-year-old girl told the New York Times she asked a friend in the U.S. about contacting authorities after seeing the news.
“Maybe I could’ve changed the outcome... just could never guess that he’d actually do this,” the girl told the New York Times.
Law enforcement sources told ABC News those messages with the German teen are now part of the investigation.
Abbott referenced similar messages but called them Facebook posts that were actually “one-to-one text messages,” a Meta spokesperson confirmed to ABC News. The social media company discovered the messages after the shooting and is working with law enforcement, the spokesperson said.
But Ramos had also participated in conversations about guns and possible violence for months.
McCraw said in Sept. 2021, Ramos asked his sister to help him buy a gun.
“She flatly refused,” McCraw said.
McCraw also detailed the following posts investigators have found on Instagram:
- Feb. 28: In a chat on Instagram there was a discussion about Ramos “being a school shooter.”
- March 1: In a four-person chat on Instagram, Ramos discussed buying a gun.
- March 3: Someone posted in that chat “word on the street, you are buying a gun.” Ramos replied with “just bought something RN.”
- March 14: Ramos had an Instagram post that said “10 more days.” A user replied, “Are you going to shoot up a school or something?” Ramos replied “No. Stop asking dumb questions. You’ll see,” McCraw shared.
Shooter bought guns right after turning 18, days before shooting
Ramos recently bought two guns, just days after his 18th birthday, authorities said. One of the guns was purchased at a federally licensed dealer in the Uvalde area on May 17, according to state Sen. John Whitmire, who was briefed by investigators. Ramos bought 375 rounds of ammunition the next day, then purchased the second rifle last Friday.
Days before the attack, an Instagram account investigators say apparently belonged to Ramos posted a photo of a hand holding an ammunition magazine.
On the day Ramos bought his second weapon, the account carried a photo of two AR-style rifles.
WATCH: Uvalde shooter’s vehicle towed from ditch near Robb Elementary
Officers found one of the rifles in Ramos’ truck and the other in the school, according to the briefing given to lawmakers. Ramos was wearing a tactical vest, but it had no hardened body-armor plates inside, lawmakers were told. He also dropped a backpack containing several magazines full of ammunition near the school entrance.
McCraw said Ramos possessed 60 magazines total with 1,657 total rounds of ammunition. He fired more than 160 rounds on Tuesday.
His grandfather, Rolando Reyes, 72, said he had no idea his grandson had purchased those weapons. He said his grandson had been living with them since February or March because he had had a falling out with his mother. He said he took his grandson to work sometimes, as Ramos did not know how to drive, and that he was very quiet, but he did not seem violent.
Sources told ABC News Ramos’ mother, Adriana Reyes, worked at Oasis Outback, which operates as a gun retailer and restaurant, at one point. They said she worked in the restaurant portion of the establishment.
ABC News says it’s unclear if the mother had any role in her son’s purchase of the weapons at Oasis Outback.
The owner of the establishment declined to comment to ABC News and said he would only speak with law enforcement officers at this time.
Adriana Reyes did not respond to comment requests from ABC News.
Abbott skips NRA convention in Houston
The National Rifle Association began on Friday in Houston, where former President Donald Trump and other leading Republicans are slated to speak.
Abbott, however, will not attend as originally planned, but will address the convention through a prerecorded video, his spokesman told The Dallas Morning News.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was listed as a speaker, and Trump said Wednesday that he still intends to attend.
Though personal firearms are allowed at the convention, the NRA said guns would not be permitted during the session featuring Trump because of Secret Service security protocols.
Several groups have said they planned to stage protests outside of the convention center.
Uvalde mayor says focus should be on mental health, not gun control
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said the focus should be on mental health, not gun control.
In an interview with Amy Robach on Good Morning America, McLaughlin called the shooter a “sick individual.”
“Everybody comes in and talks about immediately, ‘We want to do gun control. We want to sanction the gun lobbyist. We want to sanction this and want to sanction that,’” McLaughlin said. “But you know what? Why don’t you politicians get off your butts and let’s talk about mental health and let’s do something.”
McLaughlin told GMA that his heart was broken for the families and the kids. He said the need for mental health resources is something “we’ve been screaming about for a long time in our communities.”
The mayor added on Friday during a press briefing in Uvalde that though the community is hurting, there is resilience.
“Our hearts are broken here in Uvalde,” McLaughlin said. “My heart is broken for these families... There’s a lot of unity in our community and it will take some time, but we will get over this.”
Gov. Abbott expands support, resources for Uvalde community
A one-stop webpage has been set up to support all of the victims, families, teachers and the community of Uvalde following the deadly massacre at Robb Elementary School.
During a press conference in Uvalde on Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced additional resources, which includes the one-stop webpage for donations, created by the OneStar Foundation. A similar webpage was set up for victims of Hurricane Harvey in 2017.
The foundation will give 100% of the donations it receives to the Robb School Memorial Fund, established by the First State Bank of Uvalde.
The donation funds will be used to cover “immediate needs,” such as healthcare expenses for the victims, flights and travel for families and loved ones coming from out of state to Uvalde and other needs for the community, the governor said.
“Donations of any amount to the OneStar Foundation webpage will go a long way in letting these grief-stricken families, teachers, and loved ones know that they are not alone as they begin the long and difficult process of piecing their lives back together,” said Abbott.
Donations can be made once, or on a monthly basis. Visit onestarfoundation.org/uvalde to learn more.
The governor said an anonymous donor has also donated $175,000 to go toward the funeral costs for all of the shooting victims.
“We appreciate that anonymous donor for his generosity. We will ensure those resources get into the right hands,” Abbott said.
Anyone who lives in Uvalde can access a newly-established mental health care phone line as well, which will be answered 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
The mental health services are free of charge for anyone in the Uvalde community. The phone line can be reached at 888-690-0799.
How to help the victims, community
In the wake of the horrific school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead in Uvalde on Tuesday, people are wondering how they can help.
Unfortunately, there are already scams associated with the tragedy so people are urged to be careful when sending money to any cause.
In addition to giving blood, people can also donate to the official funds set up to help the families of the school shooting victims. Learn more by clicking here.
Beto O’Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott at press conference
As Abbott addressed the media during a live press conference Wednesday afternoon, Democratic gubernatorial candidate and former Congressman Beto O’Rourke approached the stage and confronted Abbott.
Texas Tribune reporter Patrick Svitek provided the following details:
O’Rourke caused a dramatic scene on Wednesday when he angrily confronted Gov. Greg Abbott at his Uvalde news conference about the school shooting, yelling, “This is on you.”
After Abbott was done giving his initial remarks, O’Rourke charged toward the stage.
“You are doing nothing,” O’Rourke said. “You are offering up nothing. You said this was not predictable. This was totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”
Some of the Republican officials onstage quickly denounced O’Rourke. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz told him, “Sit down and don’t play this stunt.” Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick told O’Rourke he was “out of line and an embarrassment.” And Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin gave the most colorful response.
“I can’t believe that you’re a sick son of a bitch that would come to a deal like this to make a political issue,” McLaughlin said.
------
On Wednesday evening, the NAACP announced it had sent a letter to Abbott, calling on him not to attend this week’s National Rifle Association conference in Houston. Read the letter below or click here.
Abbott, Wolff, Nirenberg, Cornyn release statements
After the governor confirmed details about the shooting, he released a statement expressing his condolences.
This is the email his office sent to members of the media.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also spoke out about the “profound grief” in South Texas.
“It is with profound grief and broken hearts that we learn about the news coming our way this afternoon,” Wolff said. “We stand united with the community in Uvalde and offer our assistance. We also mourn with them over the lives of those children and adults lost to violence. Bexar County is sending personnel and material from the Office of Emergency Management, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the Sheriff’s Office, and University Hospital to support the ongoing operation.”
Nirenberg called it “sickening” and asked people to pray for the families affected by the “horrific mass shooting.”
Uvalde is experiencing the sickening aftermath of a horrific mass shooting. At least 14 children and a teacher are gone. Pray for the lost, their families, and Uvalde.
— Mayor Ron | Get vax’d! 💪 (@Ron_Nirenberg) May 24, 2022
San Antonio has sent mass casualty resources to the region and will do all we can to help our neighbors heal.
Other state and local leaders released statements in response to the shooting — you can read those here.
School was slated to end on Thursday
The shooting occurred during the last week of school for students and teachers in UCISD — what was supposed to be a time of celebration.
Classes had been winding down for the year and each school day had a theme. Tuesday’s was Footloose and Fancy. Students were supposed to wear a nice outfit with fun or fancy shoes, the AP reported.
After shots rang out, police and others responding broke windows at the school in an effort to allow students and teachers escape, Olivarez said on “Today.”
Thursday was expected to be the last day of school, and the high school graduation was slated for Friday. Classes and activities have since been canceled for the rest of the year.
“School has been canceled for the rest of the school year for our students. This includes all extra-curricular activities for Wednesday and Thursday. The Graduation Ceremony will be addressed at a later time,” UCISD said in a Facebook post.
Uvalde CISD Parents and Faculty, Our community has experienced a terrible tragedy. We must come together to console...
Posted by Uvalde CISD on Tuesday, May 24, 2022
The elementary school has an enrollment of just under 600 students and included second through fourth grades. Uvalde is home to about 16,000 people.
People in Uvalde will have the chance to speak to grief counselors on Wednesday.
SAPD sends resources to Uvalde
The San Antonio Police Department said it sent resources to the school and is standing by to assist as further needed.
“SAPD has sent resources to include EAGLE, Crime Scene Investigators (CSI) and SWAT to the active shooter situation that occurred earlier in Uvalde...,” a tweet stated.
SAPD offered its condolences to the Uvalde community.
This is the deadliest public school shooting in Texas history
The assault at Robb Elementary School was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, in December 2012.
It was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. This shooting occurred four years after a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area.
According to the Associated Press, Texas had the most recent school shootings where 10 people or more were killed.
---
Also on KSAT: