Additional questions were raised Thursday afternoon after officials said officers did not attend to the suspect before he entered the school, contradicting earlier information that he encountered an armed school resource officer.
Shooter shot grandma, texted her plans and broke it car
A few minutes before the horror attack, Ramos allegedly sent series of text message for teenage girl in Europe he had met online describing how he had just shot his grandmother and will “shoot up (n) elementary school.”
Ramos complained that his grandmother’s phone with AT&T will discontinue (sic) my phone,” according to screen shots reviewed by CNN and interviews. with the girl whose mother gave permission for give her an interview.
“It’s annoying,” he wrote.
Six minutes later he wrote: “I just shot me down grandma in her head.”
After a few seconds he said, “Ima go shoot.” up a(n) elementary school rn (right now).”
fifteen-year- old lady who life in Frankfurt, Germany started chatting with Ramos May 9 on a social media app, she later said.
Ramos told her on Monday that he had received package of According to her, the ammunition and bullets expanded when they hit someone.
At some point, the girl asked what he planned to do. He told her it was a surprise and “just wait for this,” she said.
At 11:01 a.m. CT on Tuesday, she said, Ramos called her and told her he loved her. Then, about 20 minutes later, he wrote to her that he had shot his grandmother. 66-year-old was in San Antonio hospital was in serious condition on Wednesday, officials said.
Is not clear why Ramos then targeted Robb Elementary School, a school of 535 students in 2-4 grades as of last school year.
Close to campus vehicle crashed into a ditch, Texas department of Public Safety Sergeant (DPS). Eric Estrada said. cause of in crash did not have clear.
Then a terrible school attack deployed
Ramos broke his vehicle at 11:28, DPS Regional Director Victor Escalon said on news conference on Thursday.
He got out of his vehicle on passenger side of his truck with a rifle and a bag, Escalon said, citing witness statements.
The shooter saw two witnesses at the funeral home across the street said Escalon and fired at them before continuing walk towards the school. He climbed fence into the parking lot and started shooting at the school.
“There were no officers at the school when the shooter came,” Escalon said as he walked. back previously information put out by his agency that shooter first collided with an armed school employee.
DPS officials previously stated that the shooter was “engaged” to a school officer, and that the shooter threw black bag full of ammunition outside school during this meeting.
What used to be information was “not accurate,” Escalon told reporters, and from the moment he left his grandmothers house by the time they enter school. The shooter, he said, “walked in initially free.”
Escalon said it looks like the suspect went through an unlocked door, “so we’re going to look at it and try to confirm it as best we can.”
“We’ll find outas far as we can why it was unlocked, or maybe it was locked. But now it looks like it has been unlocked,” he said.
That door is “usually locked,” said Ross McGlothlin. former main for school. “This is the front door you don’t need go if you’re not going to go home on school bus,” McGlothlin told CNN. on Thursday.
The shooter went west side of school at 11:40, Escalon said. He went through the school and into the next class with opened the doors between them.
Four minutes after the shooter made entrance to the school, said Escalon, the officers with The Uvalde Police Department and the school district entered the school and heard gunshots.
“The officers are there, the original officers, they were shot at, they didn’t go in initially because of they get shots. But we have officers who call for additional resources,” Escalon said, describing the requests for equipment such as body armor and personnel including negotiators.
While these calls are being made, he said, the staff evacuated students and teachers from the school.
An hour later, said Escalon, tactical team was of U.S. Border Patrol, Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office, and Uvalde Police Department officers made infiltration and fatally shot the suspect.
The shooter barricaded himself in neighboring classes, where, according to representatives of the traffic police, 19 fourth-graders and two teachers were killed.
Exactly how the shooter barricaded himself in the classrooms – locked the door or created a physical barrier, for example — also remains dont clear, Department of Texas of This was stated by public safety spokesman Chris Olivares. Thursday morning. “We are still trying to establish whether there was any type of locking mechanism on doorway from the classroom.
More than 80 federal officers immediately responded to the carnage. soon 150 agreed on in area, U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told CNN. on Wednesday.
Now the authorities are investigating key questions
Authorities are still investigating and trying to piece together full chart, Escalon said on Thursday news conference.
Questions swirled among the unknown about the reaction of the police.
“So we’re trying to set each timeline how how long time the shooter was in the classroom, how filmed for a long time place. But how of right now we have not been able to ascertain that,“ Olivares told CNN.
urgent need protocol calls for eliminate the threat as quickly as possible possible because deaths happen in seconds to minutes, experts say.
“According to way that active shooters are now being trained, the police are being taught that you need a team of three. Once you have three officers… you will enter required formation and you enter it space wherever the shooter is.” — Andrew McCabe, CNN senior law enforcement analyst told CNN on Thursday afternoon.
According to Escalon, at least three officers were on scene by 11:44
“You may object that any one of these individual officers should Gone in even earlier, but exactly by 11:44 (am), they have three officers there, it would be consecutive with training,” McCabe added.
That’s what we are know while about the arrow…
The shooter was student at Uvalde High School, officials said.
Three days before shooting, photo of two AR-15 type rifles appeared on an Instagram account linked to Ramos.
Ramos recently sent former classmate photo with AR-15, backpack with rounds of ammo and some gun magazines, said a peer, who not want be identified.
“I was like, ‘Bro, why are you doing this?’ and he was like”Don’t worry about it,” the friend told CNN. “He continued to write to me: “Now I look completely different.” You wouldn’t recognize me.”
According to a friend, Ramos stopped attending school regularly. He worked at a local Wendy’s restaurant manager told CNN.
Ramos ‘basically kept to himself’ and ‘didn’t really interact with other employees, “evening manager Adrian Mendez said. “He just worked, got paid and came in to get his check.
Teenager in Germany who said she and Ramos were talking for Weeks said Ramos told her he spent a lot of time alone in home.
“Every time I talked to him,” she said, “he never had plans with his friends.”
…and the victims whose lives were stolen
By Wednesday morning, after hours filled with agony, several of families of the victims confirmed that they received devastating news.
“He really couldn’t wait to go to high school,” she said.
“Please don’t take second for granted, “Garza posted on Facebook. “Hug your family. Tell them you love them.”
ten-year- old Eliahana “Elijah” Cruz Torres was also the victim, her aunt Leandra Vera told CNN. “Our baby got wings,” she said.
“My precious angel, you are so deeply loved. eyes You are not a victim, but a survivor. I love you always and past forever and ever baby sister let your wings fly higher than you could ever dream”, – wrote Mata. on Twitter.
As of Thursday, six the injured were hospitalized, four of whom, including the shooter’s grandmother, who is in serious condition – are in the university hospital in San Antonio, according to the hospital.
Two 10-year-old girls among those in hospital — one in serious condition, etc. in good condition. A 9-year-old child in good condition, the hospital said Thursday.
Brook Army Medical Center in Two adult patients injured in the shooting were treated in San Antonio. in The condition is critical, a spokesman said.
remains of 19 victims were taken to the funeral. homes by Thursday afternoon with in final the two are to be released the same day, Judge Lalo Diaz said.
CNN’s Isabelle Chapman, Daniel A. Medina, Peter Nickeas, Paradise Afshar, Kurt Devine, Jeff Winter, Evan Perez, Andy Rose, Priscilla Alvarez, Jamiel Lynch, Doni O’Sullivan, Jose Lesh, Amanda Jackson, David Williams, Sarah Smart , Amanda Watts, Chris Boyett, Joe Sutton, Victor Blackwell, Joseph Bonheim and Jennifer Henderson contributed to this report.
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