Note: This live blog for the deadly mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, is no longer being updated. For the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the United States-Mexico border, stay with BorderReport.com.
UVALDE, Texas (Border Report) — Fallout continues after a news conference on Thursday in which it was learned that law enforcement did not kill the suspect in the school shootings in this South Texas border town until an hour after he had barricaded himself into a classroom.
The 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, killed 19 children and two adults in the same fourth grade classroom at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday in what is the deadliest school shootings in over a decade in the United States.
This close knit rural community of under 16,000 is reeling with loss and divided in support of law enforcement.
Social media videos show dozens of parents rushing the school on Tuesday morning demanding police enter the building. Videos show law enforcement outside and holding them back.
During a news conference on Thursday, Texas DPS Regional Director Victor Escalon said it too kthem an hour to enter and “shoot and kill” the suspect and during that time they called for backup resources, equipment and personnel.
Read updates from Border Report:
Friday, May 27, 2022
12:13 p.m. CDT:
Police response delayed when TX gunman not considered ‘active shooter’
(NewsNation) — BREAKING UPDATE: Even as children called 911 and begged for help, the gunman at a Uvalde, Texas elementary school was treated as a barricaded subject, and not an active shooter, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety said Friday.
DPS Director Steven McCraw said the on-site commander during the shooting believed the gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was barricaded in a classroom but was not actively shooting children. With that in mind, they waited for backup and more equipment before trying to subdue the shooter. Read more …
8:45 a.m. CDT:
Texas Lt. Governor cancels NRA speech
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has announced he will not speak this morning at an NRA Convention in Houston.
“After prayerful consideration and discussion with NRA officials, I have decided not to speak at the NRA breakfast this morning,” Patrick said in a statement.
Patrick and other Texas leaders have come under fire for the school shootings in Uvalde and the handling by law enforcement, as well as open gun laws in the Lone Star State.
Patrick came to Uvalde on Wednesday with Gov. Greg Abbott and during a news conference were confronted by gubernatorial candidate former U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke who told them they could have stopped the killings.
“While a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and an NRA member, I would not want my appearance today to bring any additional pain or grief to the families and all those suffering in Uvalde. This is a time to focus on the families, first and foremost,” Patrick said.
Thursday, May 26, 2022
8:45 p.m. CDT:
Crosses built for victims at town’s fountain
Twenty-one wooden crosses were built on Thursday at the Uvalde town square fountain.
The three-foot tall wooden crosses drew hundreds of people throughout the day who came to drop off flowers, candles, balloons, stuffed animals and roses in glasses in memory of the 19 children who were killed and two adults.
Some people prayed. Others cried. And some wrote messages on the crosses.
6:58 p.m. CDT:
Meghan Markle visits Robb Elementary memorial site, leaves flowers
Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle arrived at the memorial site for the 21 victims killed in Tuesday’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
On Thursday, Markle was seen leaving white roses at the site.
5:15 p.m. CDT:
Mom of second grader: Officers ‘did everything’
Monique Hernandez recalls racing to Robb Elementary School on Tuesday and searching for her 8-year-old son Joaquin Guzman. She heard parents yelling for police officers to enter the building but after a press conference on Thursday by the Texas Department of Public Safety, Hernandez defended the action of the officers.
“They were here the whole time. I know that for a fact. I don’t care what the people say. I don’t care what some post on Facebook or anything says that these officers did not do it. Because they did everything. They want to talk down on them. No. These men did everything. They saw things that they shouldn’t have to see. Knowing family and friends were in that building wasn’t some tactical force that nobody knew. This was family,” she told Border Report.
3:57 p.m. CDT:
2:35 p.m. CDT:
New questions emerge in Uvalde school shooting
New information released by authorities Thursday in the most lethal mass school shooting in a decade conflicts with early reports, answering several looming questions but raising even more.
A news conference was held in Uvalde with an update on the investigation into the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School that claimed the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers on Tuesday, May 24, 2022. Read more …
2:17 p.m. CDT:
Husband of teacher killed in Texas school shooting dies after heart attack, family reports
Just two days after his wife was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, Joe Garcia, the husband of teacher Irma Garcia, has suffered a heart attack and died, Garcia’s relatives said Thursday.
10:30 a.m. CT:
Puppy love for first responders
First responders who have come to the small, South Texas border town of Uvalde also are hurting after the deadly school shootings, and they need some furry loving care. That’s where a little puppy love can help from a group of San Antonio-based therapy dogs who have come to Uvalde, Texas, help.
They are part of a group called Canines 4 Christ. And they arrived Wednesday from San Antonio where they work out of Brooke Army Medical Center located at Fort Sam Houston.
Now they are on the ground in Uvalde, offering comfort and hugs to first responders at Robb Elementary School, and throughout the devastated community. Read more …
8 a.m. CT:
Red Cross on the ground to help in Uvalde
Red Cross officials from across the country are being surged to Uvalde, Texas, Border Report has learned. This includes mental health counselors as well as Spanish-speakers, a worker said.
The Red Cross will help families who have lost loved ones by filling out paperwork for them, offering grievance counseling and even giving monetary donations, the worker said.
“Most people don’t realize that the Red Cross also gives out money to those in need,” the worker said.
The Red Cross relies on donations. For more, visit the nonprofit organization’s website here.
Wednesday, May 25, 2022
8 p.m. CDT:
Steady stream of mourners bring flowers to Robb Elementary School
Throughout the day a steady stream of mourners have been bringing flowers to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
They can’t cross police tape, so law enforcement come to them and carry the bouquets to a school marquee that is quickly becoming a shrine to the 19 children and two adults who were killed here. Read more …
6 p.m. CDT:
‘We need to remember their names’: Uvalde residents call for solidarity in wake of deadly shooting
As the afternoon sun beat down on the town square in Uvalde, Texas, several women, some with children in tow, held signs proclaiming the strengths of their town and urging folks not to forget the sacrifices made here this week. Read more …
5:04 p.m. CDT:
Open Carry Texas issues statement following school shooting in Uvalde
On behalf of CJ Grisham and all of us at here Open Carry Texas in regards to the recent tragic event in Uvalde, this is the official statement of Open Carry Texas:
We want to be 100% clear: the ONLY person responsible for the disgusting and evil Uvalde massacre is the shooter. Not the gun. Not the gun lobby. Not Republicans or Libertarians. The shooter. We will vehently oppose ANY effort by the Democrats to plant a podium on the graves of these slaughtered kids to push their anti-gun agenda. Democrats got what they wanted: a “gun free” zone full of defenseless victims whose graves they can dance on. We will continue fighting to PROTECT our kids, not continue these policies of defenseless victim hood.
May God grant rest and peace unto the families and victims of this tragedy, may his hand be upon his children, and may the God Bless Texas with His own Hand!
4:55 p.m. CDT:
Governor Abbott Provides Update On State’s Response, Ongoing Investigation On Robb Elementary School Shooting In Uvalde
AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today provided an update on the state’s ongoing response to yesterday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Following a briefing with federal, state, and local officials, the Governor was joined at the press conference by Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, Senator John Cornyn, Senator Ted Cruz, Attorney General Ken Paxton, State Senator Roland Gutierrez, State Representative Tracy King, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Director Steve McCraw, Texas Education Agency (TEA) Commissioner Mike Morath, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Hal Harrell, and other state and local officials.
“All Texans have been shaken to their core in the wake of the horrific tragedy that occurred yesterday in the close-knit community of Uvalde,” said Governor Abbott. “We must come together in support of the families of the innocent victims, the law enforcement officers who heroically responded, and the entire Uvalde community, which will be impacted by this senseless act of violence for generations to come. As the investigation by state and local authorities continues, it is our duty as elected officials to evaluate all possible means of making our schools safer to prevent future tragedies and ensure communities across the state—whether they are underserved populations within large cities or rural areas of the state—have the mental health resources needed. The State of Texas continues working to better protect and serve all Texans, young and old.”
Governor Abbott implored all members of the Uvalde community – victims, families, family members, friends, and law enforcement – to use available mental and emotional health resources as they begin to navigate the weight of this tragedy.
The Governor added the ongoing investigation is being led by DPS Texas Rangers and the Uvalde Police Department and supported by DPS Highway Patrol and Criminal Investigation, DPS Aircraft and Intelligence, and DPS Crime and Victim Support. Additionally, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol, San Antonio Police Department, San Antonio Fire Department, and other local law officials are also providing resources in support of the investigation.
Texans in the Uvalde community are strongly encouraged to use mental health resources provided by federal, state, and local partners in the area, including: Family Resource Center in Uvalde County Fairplex, Uvalde Civic Center school crisis teams, Texas Child Mental Health Consortium, Bluebonnet Children’s Advocacy Center, and counseling services provided by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and TEA. DPS and FBI are also providing mental health services for law enforcement officers. The Uvalde District Attorney’s Office for Victim Services is also available by phone at 830-278-2916.
2:06 p.m. CDT:
WATCH: Gov. Greg Abbott, political leaders speak on Uvalde mass shooting:
1:57 p.m. CDT:
1:39 p.m. CDT:
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — The gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas had warned in online messages minutes before the attack that he had shot his grandmother and was going to shoot up a school, the governor said Wednesday. … Read more.
1:21 p.m. CDT:
(AP) — Beto O’Rourke interrupted a press conference Wednesday about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, calling the shooting “totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”
O’Rourke was escorted out while members of the crowd yelled at him, with one man shouting profanities at O’Rourke. The Democrat is challenging against Gov. Greg Abbott in this year’s election.
Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said to O’Rourke: “You’re out of line and an embarrassment.”
O’Rourke, as he was being escorted out, turned around, faced the stage, pointed his finger and said: “This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday.”
Abbott says the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school warned on social media minutes before the attack that he was going to shoot up a school. He says the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, used an AR-15 in the attack Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
The news conference was attended by several elected Republican officials.
12:18 p.m. CDT:
