Abbott: Uvalde gunman posted his plans

In a news conference Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state officials reported that confirmed gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, was living with his grandmother and shot her Tuesday with two guns he legally purchased the week before. Ramos then stole her car and crashed it less than a mile away, right next to Robb Elementary School. Abbott said a school resource officer tried to stop him, but he escaped and ran through a back door. Border patrol officers and several agencies swarmed to seal other classrooms and kill him, but only after he found adjoining fourth-grade classrooms and killed 19 children and two teachers. One of the responding deputy sheriffs lost his daughter in the shooting. The grandmother is alive but in critical condition, and 17 more people are recovering from non-life-threatening injuries.

Why did this happen? The shooter reportedly did not have a criminal record or a history of mental health issues. He allegedly posted his plans in three separate Facebook posts Tuesday, but a Meta spokesman said the messages were private. The gunman’s grandfather, Rolando Reyes, told the New York Post that the attack occurred after an argument between the teen and his grandmother. Reyes said he did not know his grandson had the rifles in the house: “If I would have known, I would have reported him.” Uvalde’s sheriff and mayor say the community has been suffering a mental health crisis, according to Abbott’s statement. He said his administration will provide mental health resources and analyze state school safety laws.

Dig deeper: View a slideshow of the latest photos from Uvalde.