Uwalde, Texas –
Fourteen children and a teacher were killed in a shooting at a Texas primary school on Tuesday, and an 18-year-old gunman is dead, Gov. Greg Abbott said Abbott said a local man opened fire at Rob Elementary School in Uwalde, about 85 miles away. (136 km) west of San Antonio
“He shot and killed, horribly, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher,” the governor said.
The gunman was a resident of the community and entered the school with a gun and possibly a rifle and opened fire, Abbott said. He said the shooter had probably been killed by police, but that the events were still being investigated.
Uwalde Memorial Hospital said earlier that 13 children had been taken away by ambulance or bus, and another hospital said a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition. It is not immediately clear how many people, other than those killed, were injured in the shooting
Uwalde’s consolidated independent school district said an active shooter had been reported at the school, which has just under 600 students. Earlier, the district announced that all schools in the district were closed due to shootings in the area.
Increased police presence surrounded the school on Tuesday afternoon, with heavy-duty vests diverting traffic and FBI agents coming in and out of the building. School and city officials did not immediately return requests for comment.
The district said the city center is being used as a unification center.
The shooting in Texas came less than two weeks after a gunman opened fire on a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing 10 black shoppers and workers in what authorities described as hate crime.
Uwalde is home to about 16,000 people and is the seat of the Uwalde County Government. The city is about 75 miles from the border with Mexico. Robb Elementary is located in a mostly residential area with modest houses. There is a funeral home across the street from the school.
Add Comment