Live Updates: 14 students, 1 teacher killed after shooter opens fire at Texas elementary school
At least 14 students and one teacher were killed when a gunman opened fire at an elementary school in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said Tuesday. Abbott said the shooter is also dead, and is believed to have been killed by responding law enforcement officers.
Abbott's comments came after the district reported an active shooter at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, which is approximately an hour and a half west of San Antonio. The school teaches 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade students, according to Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pedro Arredondo.
Abbott said the shooter was an 18-year-old male who resided in Uvalde. He said it's believed the suspect, who he named as Salvador Ramos, abandoned his vehicle, then entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle.
"He shot and killed — horrifically, incomprehensibly — 14 students and killed a teacher," Abbott said.
Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that the suspect had a handgun, an AR-15 assault weapon and high capacity magazines.
Arredondo said the shooting took place at approximately 11:32 a.m. local time. He did not provide many details about what transpired, but confirmed the suspect is dead and said investigators believe he acted alone. He also confirmed there were several injuries and "some deaths," but did not provide specific numbers.
CBS News has learned that multiple Customs and Border Protection agents responded to the shooting, and that one agent was shot in the head. That agent has been hospitalized and is in stable condition.
Multiple law enforcement sources told CBS News the alleged shooter is suspected of killing his grandmother before opening fire at the school.
The Uvalde Memorial Hospital previously said it received 13 children from ambulance and buses for treatment, and that two people who arrived at the hospital were deceased. A second hospital said it is caring for a 66-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl, both in critical condition. Another hospital said it was caring for two adults, both also in critical condition.
South Texas Blood and Tissue said it sent 15 units of blood to Uvalde on Tuesday.
Though the details of the shooting were still emerging, the district said that there had been an "active shooter" at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District — located about an hour and a half west of San Antonio — tweeted at 1:17 p.m. that there was "an active shooter at Robb Elementary," adding, "Law enforcement is on site. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus. As soon as more information is gathered it will be shared."
At approximately 2:00 p.m. local time, the district said parents were cleared to pick up their children at the local civic center.
Pat Milton contributed reporting.
LIVETeacher and 14 pupils killed in Texas school shooting
Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy, who hails from the state where 26 people were killed in the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School, took to the floor of the US Senate on Tuesday to accuse his colleagues of not doing enough to prevent school shootings.
"What are we doing? Why are you here?" the Democrat asked.
"We have another Sandy Hook on our hands," he continued moments after the deaths of 14 students was confirmed in Uvalde.
The attack on Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012 saw 26 people, including 20 children, killed by a lone gunman.
'A nation of anguished screams' - Hillary Clinton
In a tweet reacting to the shooting, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said "we are becoming a nation of anguished screams".
She called for gun control: "We simply need legislators willing to stop the scourge of gun violence in America that is murdering our children."
It’s a solemn evening here in small-town Texas as dark rain clouds, helicopters and the loss of life loom over Uvalde.
Standing outside her home just down the street from Robb Elementary, Madison, a 14-year-old high school student, can’t believe this happened so close to home.
“I feel bad, they’re babies," she says. "Why them?”
Madison has cousins who were at the primary school and her own high school was forced into lockdown during the shooting.
Police have sealed off the scene, but nearby neighbours stand outside, wondering why it was their town this time.
As officials begin investigations, Uvalde begins to mourn with a vigil underway, just a few blocks from the school.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz described the Uvalde shooting as "truly horrific", but said gun reforms were not the way to prevent such crimes.
Speaking to reporters, he said that restricting the rights of "law-abiding citizens... doesn't work. It's not effective. It doesn't prevent crime."
He said "going after felons" is what prevents such crimes and he criticised other politicians for trying to "advance their own political agenda" by calling for gun control.
He added that from past experience, armed law enforcement on campus is the most effective way of keeping children safe.
"We don't know the details of what happened at Robb Elementary School, but there will be a lot of time to examine what steps could have been taken proactively to enhance the safety and security of the school right now," he said.
