The United States is in shock after 21 people, including 19 children, were killed in an attack on a school in Uvalde, Texas. President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that he will travel to the state in the coming days, where pro- and anti-gun politicians are opposed.
It was 11:30 am in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday (24th) when Salvador Ramos began shooting students and teachers at Robb Elementary School, killing 21 people, including 19 children.
Celeste was in her car when she heard on the radio that there was an incident at her 9-year-old daughter’s school. The 30-year-old mother of the family rushed to the scene. When he arrived, the police prevented him from entering the school and at the same time, the shooter left the building and fired in the direction of the agents.
“He went out and started shooting everybody. I was so scared,” he says. A few minutes later, gunfire was heard again inside the teaching center. Celeste’s daughter was still in the building.
“She was constantly hiding in the bathroom. She tried to get out and the man shot in front of her. Then she stopped and hid somewhere else. She then saw the shooter run away, shoot and hide for 15 minutes and then started running to the first open door,” she says, trying to find her daughter alive. Celeste succeeded.
“At that time, I jumped up, grabbed her and put her in my car. So I waited for my two friends’ kids to come out, but they didn’t,” says the emotional mother.
Celeste believes what happened to her and her daughter was a “miracle”. She knew all the children, and she felt guilty that her daughter had survived. Therefore, she decided to leave 19 stuffed animals outside the school gate, one for each victim.
Pointing to one of the toys, she says, “I’m bringing each of them a plush animal so they can sleep with them. They’re too small. Babies. This is for Eli.” He told his special representative, “She was one of my friend’s daughters. She always made very cute videos. Her mother is a good friend.” RFI David Thomson at Uvalde.
“All these children were known. They were all very good. Innocent children. Babies. Some came to my parents’ parties. Others were my friends’ children,” says Celeste, shocked by the worst attack on an education center in the United States. states within 10 years.
“Everyone knows each other here, it’s a small community. It’s just so sad. We’re all close. My neighbor lost his niece and nephew. My heart was broken because my daughter was also at school but she came home. My friends didn’t come back,” she complains.
The day after the murder, hundreds of Uvalde residents gathered to commemorate the victims. Prayers, songs and pains dominated the show. Among those present was a uniformed police officer, the father of a victim who was devastated in tears in the arms of Senator Ted Cruz, who was present with Texas governor Greg Abbott.
Uvalde is a small rural community of 16,000 inhabitants, three-quarters Hispanic. One student’s father said, “We were shocked. We can’t believe something like this could happen in such a small town.”
Another parent of a surviving parent said, “Sorry, I’m just sorry. Words are insufficient. Grotesque, vile. They were innocent children. They had lives ahead of them, they had a future. It was all stolen.”
no background
Salvador Ramos had shot his own grandmother before carrying out the attack and fled home in his pickup truck. He drove 3.5 km near Robb School, where more than 500 children aged 7-11 are educated, as the victim of an accident with an unknown cause.
Ramos got out of his car with his semi-automatic AR-15 rifle and backpack. According to Steven McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Security, a police officer in charge of school security was unable to prevent him from entering.
The gunman entered the building and immediately entered a corridor leading to the two classrooms and was followed by three police officers calling for support. According to McCraw, he entered one of the rooms at 11:30 and started shooting. The police managed to kill Ramos a few minutes later.
The young man had no known legal records or psychological problems from the local health services. He enrolled in high school but dropped out. Ramos’ cousin Mia told the newspaper: Washington Post She said she didn’t want to go to school anymore because she was bullied for stuttering.
On May 17, the day after his 18th birthday, he bought a semi-automatic rifle, then ammunition. The head of the Texas security department said he bought another automatic rifle from the same store as Uvalde on May 20. Investigators have yet to find anything to explain his move.
Social networks
Texas Governor Greg Abbot announced at a press conference Wednesday in a high school conference room in Uverdale that Ramos would attack a school on Facebook. A Meta spokesperson quickly stated that the messages were sent privately to another user and that they were already cooperating with the police in the investigation.
Later, the young Ramos wrote that he was going to kill his grandmother, after which he confirmed that he had indeed shot the lady, according to the governor of Texas. The 66-year-old woman who was hit in the face escaped and called the police. “The third message, ‘I’m going to hit an elementary school,’ said the third message, less than fifteen minutes before we undoubtedly arrived at the school. These messages were the only warning sent before the attack,” said Abbot.
According to CNN, the messages were not made public, but were sent to a user she met online in Germany earlier this month. The 15-year-old from Frankfurt announced that he “shot his grandmother in the head” and “will now shoot a school”.
At the Texas governor’s press conference, Democratic Party rival Beto O’Rouke accused Abbot of inaction against firearm violence. “Governor Abbot, I have something to say,” O’Rourke said, “it’s time to stop the next shoot and you’re doing nothing.”
The Democrat’s unexpected response represents the anger of many Americans who advocate stricter gun laws. O’Rourke was kicked out of the school, but when he got to the street he continued his criticism.
“This 18-year-old, who just had a birthday, took an AR-15 to elementary school and shot the kids in the face and killed them. Why are we letting this happen in this country? Why is that? “Every year in this state, from city to city,” O’Rourke said. If we don’t do anything, it’s our responsibility. And I will do something. I am not alone,” he said.
Pro-gun lobby and politicians
The National Rifle Association (NRA) on Wednesday denied full responsibility for the attacks and condemned “the act of an isolated and deranged criminal”.
The association is considered one of the most powerful pressure groups in the world. Your goal is to defend the freedom to bear arms. With five million members and a budget of $300 million, the lobby organization has its own television channel, NRATV, and the support of movie stars like Clint Eastwook or Chuck Norris.
The NRA also invests in the political arena, funding election campaigns and advertising videos of candidates determined to defend gun ownership and oppose any restrictions on firearms. Often Republican candidates, for example Ted Cruz, a senator from the state of Texas, said that to contain such killings, it is necessary to put armored doors and windows in schools and leave only one entrance door open. .
But the most well-known politician the organization supports is probably Donald Trump. Even today, the former American president does not miss the opportunity to attend NRA conventions. Next Friday (27), it will take place in Houston, Texas’ largest city, in the same state as Uvalde. Trump will deliver a speech at the opening of the event, which will also feature Greg Abbot and Ted Cruz.
source: Noticias
