Texas [US], May 25 (ANI): An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and 3 teachers in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter also died. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said that an elementary school shooter is an 18-year-old male from Uvalde. “It’s believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed according to my most recent report,” Abbott said as quoted by CNN.
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) in Texas said they are canceling all school activities after the shooting at Robb Elementary School. “All district and campus activities, after-school programs, and events are canceled,” the district tweeted.
The district also announced that they will soon hold a news conference. According to UCISD, the shooter on Tuesday was at Robb Elementary School at 12:17 pm (US time) and law enforcement was on site.
This is the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN. Upon this incident, White House new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre informed that President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting in Texas.
“President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available,” she tweeted.”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,” Jean-Pierre added.
Local police had previously said that a suspect was taken into custody, following the attack in Texas.
US flag to fly at half-mast after Texas school shooting
Washington [US], May 25 (ANI): As a mark of respect for the victims killed in the Texas school shooting, US President Joe Biden ordered on Tuesday that the flags will fly at half-mast at the White House and other public places until Saturday. “I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, May 28, 2022,” President Joe Biden said in a press release.
According to the release, US President said that the flag will be flown at half-mast for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations. Earlier, President Biden was briefed on the Texas shooting incident. Taking to Twitter, White House new press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available.”
“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,” Jean-Pierre added.
Upon the mass shooting in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott released a statement that stated that people across Texas are grieving for the victims of this senseless crime and for the community of Uvalde. “Cecilia (Abbott’s wife) and I mourn this horrific loss and we urge all Texans to come together to show our unwavering support to all who are suffering. We thank the courageous first responders who worked to finally secure Robb Elementary School,” the statement reads.
Abbott further said that he had instructed the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Rangers to work with local law enforcement to fully investigate this crime. “The Texas Division of Emergency Management is charged with providing local officials with all resources necessary to respond to this tragedy as the State of Texas works to ensure the community has what it needs to heal,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, President Biden will address the nation about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, this evening at 8:15 p.m. ET from the White House, following his return from Asia. Earlier, on Tuesday, an 18-year-old gunman killed 14 children and 1 teacher in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter also died.
This is the deadliest attack since the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, according to CNN. (ANI)
