Three people wounded in the attack remained hospitalized in serious condition, the senator added.
The school had children who were in second, third and fourth grade, a police spokesperson for the school said. The school serves about 570 children, nearly 90% of them Latino.
Few victims have been publicly identified, but one adult has been confirmed as fourth-grade teacher Eva Mireles. “I’m furious that these shootings continue,” her aunt said in a statement reported by ABC News. “These children are innocent. Rifles should not be easily available to all.”
The shooting took place at approximately 11.30am and it appeared the gunman acted alone, said Pete Arredondo, chief of the Uvalde consolidated independent school district police department, at a brief press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Officials did not immediately reveal a motive, but Abbott identified the gunman as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old man from Uvalde.
Joe Biden addressed the nation on Tuesday night shortly after returning to the White House from a five-day trip to Asia. The president delivered an emotional speech, calling for “common sense” gun laws and said: “It’s time to turn this pain into action.”
Numerous lawmakers and public figures spoke out on Tuesday by calling for action on gun control legislation in the wake of a tragedy that drew immediate comparisons to the Sandy Hook massacre, when 20 first graders and six educators were killed by an 18-year-old man armed with an AR-15-type rifle. In a series of tweets, former president Barack Obama said that “nearly ten years after Sandy Hook – and ten days after Buffalo – our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that have shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies”.
US Senator Chris Murphy, who came to Congress representing Sandy Hook, begged his colleagues to finally pass legislation addressing the nation’s gun violence problem. “What are we doing?” Murphy said. “I’m here on this floor to beg to literally get down on my hands and knees to beg my colleagues. Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.”
Hal Harrell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent school district, said Tuesday that Robb Elementary School will be closed and all school activities will be cancelled until further notice. Harrell also said grief counselors would be available starting Wednesday morning.“My heart is broken today,” Harrell said. “We’re a small community and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”