Texas school shooting - live: Child death toll rises to 19 as Biden demands action

Nineteen children and two adults were killed after an active shooter was reported at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, according to authorities. The shooter also died, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

The gunman been named as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. Mr Abbott said Ramos “horrifically and incomprehensibly” carried out the mass shooting alone before being shot dead by law enforcement.

Ramos was a student at Uvalde High School who lived in the small city 130 kms (80 miles) west of San Antonio, according to Mr Abbott.

President Biden told the nation it was time to “turn this pain into action” and change gun laws following the shooting massacre.

“Why are we willing to live with this carnage?” he said at the White House. “Where in God’s name is our backbone, to have the courage to deal with this and stand up to the [gun] lobbies?”

The shooting prompted the school to go into lockdown. Students there were transported to St Willie Delon Civic Centre where they will be reunited with their parents.

Key points

• 19 children and two adults killed in the shooting

• Suspect identified as Salvador Ramos, dead

• ‘Where in God’s name is our backbone?’: Biden demands reform

• Ted Cruz blasted for ‘prayer’ tweet after Texas massacre

• Nancy Pelosi condemns lawmakers’ ‘hollow words,’ urges Congress to act

‘He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom'

08:46 , Holly Bancroft

Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, Texas, mourned the death of her cousin, Xavier Javier Lopez, who had been eagerly awaiting a summer of swimming.

“He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she said.

“He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”

She also lamented what she described as lax gun laws. “We should have more restrictions, especially if these kids are not in their right state of mind and all they want to do is just hurt people, especially innocent children going to the schools,” Ms Garza said.

Reporting by the Associated Press.

NBA coach Steve Kerr condemns Congress over Texas shooting in emotional pre-game speech

08:41 , Holly Bancroft

Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors and one of the most prominent figures in the NBA, used his pre-game press conference on Tuesday to give a powerful message impelling US congress to end gun violence after a school shooting in Texas which saw 21 people killed including 19 children.

The Warriors were playing the Dallas Mavericks in a crucial playoff game, but Kerr, a long-time advocate for gun control whose father died in a 1984 terrorist attack in Beirut, said it was time do more than simply getting on with basketball and to take action.

“I’m not going to talk about basketball,” an emotional Kerr began, before slamming his hands on the table and shouting: “When are we gonna do something?!”

Read the full story here:

NBA coach Steve Kerr condemns Congress over Texas shooting in emotional speech

Two rifles pictured on Instagram linked to shooter, CNN reports

08:30 , Holly Bancroft

A photo of two AR15-style rifles appeared on an Instagram account tied to the Texas shooter, CNN has reported.

The picture appeared on the stories of the Instagram account “salv8dor_” just three days before the gunman killed at least nineteen children and two teachers at an elementary school.

The guman has been named as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos. CNN also reported that Ramos had a TikTok page with the profile bio “Kids be scared irl”.

‘The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known'

08:20 , Holly Bancroft

Manny Renfro said he got word on Tuesday that his grandson, 8-year-old Uziyah Garcia, was among those killed.

“The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” Mr Renfro said. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”

Mr Renfro said Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo during spring break.

“We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns. Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,” Mr Renfro said.

“There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.”

Reporting by the Associated Press.

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky offers condolences to victims of Texas shooting

08:16 , Holly Bancroft

Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has offered his condolences to the family of the children killed in the Texas shooting, calling the attack “awful”.

“I would like to express my condolences to all of the relatives and family members of the children who were killed in the awful shooting in a Texas elementary school,” Mr Zelensky said as he addressed an event on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in the Swiss resort of Davos via video link.

“As far as I know, 21 people were killed, including 19 children. This is terrible, to have victims of shooters in peaceful time,” he added

Teacher Eva Mireles and three children among first victims named

08:11 , Holly Bancroft

Eva Mireles, a 44-year-old teacher, has been identified by her family as one of the two adults killed in the Texas school shooting.

Three of the 19 children killed in the attack on Robb Elementary School have also been named so far: eight-year-old Uziyah Garcia and Xavier Javier Lopez, 10. The Washington Post have also named Jose Flores, 10, as a victim of the attack.

“He was a very happy little boy,” said his uncle Christopher Salazar, who confirmed his death.

Ms Mireles’s husband is an officer with the school district’s police force which is now investigating the massacre that began late in the morning on Tuesday and ended with the gunman being shot dead.

Confirming the teacher’s death in Facebook posts, her cousin and grandmother said they were devastated at the loss and furious over the gun violence that has gripped the country.

“My beautiful cousin! Such a devastating day for us all! My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” Arizmendi Mireles, her cousin, said.

Read the full story here:

Teacher and two young children among first Texas victims named

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr delivers impassioned address on gun violence

08:07 , Holly Bancroft

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr refused to talk about basketball before his team’s playoff game on Tuesday night, instead delivering an impassioned address about the failure to tackle gun violence in the United States.

“When are we going to do something? I’m tired, I’m so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there,” he told a press conference.

Visibly outraged and shaking, Mr Kerr said: “Enough. There’s 50 senators right now who refused to vote on HR8, which is a background check rule.”

He pleaded with congresspeople, including Mitch McConnell, saying: “Are you going to put your own desire for power over our children?”

“We can’t get numb to this,” he added.

Watch his statement here:

Pastor says that teacher protected students in shooting

07:58 , Holly Bancroft

A pastor has said that a teacher at Robb Elementary School tried to protect her young students before being shot.

Father Jaime Paniagua told reporters that he had met with several people who had been injured during the attack while making a visit to a hospital in Uvalde, Texas. He described meeting a Border Patrol agent who had been grazed by a buller, a girl who was shot in the arm and another girl whose face was bloodied from shrapnel, The Washington Post reported.

Speaking about one of the girls that he spoken to, Father Paniagua said: “When the shooting was happening, she held another girl’s hand, and they were screaming. Their teacher protected them, and they saw the teacher get shot.”

Neighbour said gunman had difficult home life

07:51 , Holly Bancroft

Ruben Flores, who lived next to shooter Salvador Ramos and his mother, has said that the 18-year-old had a “pretty rough life with his mom”.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Mr Flores said that he and his wife would invite Ramos to barbeques at his house and for sleepovers with their son.

Mr Flores said that Ramos was a quiet child but that as he grew older he started having problems at home. He recounted seeing police at Ramos’s house and witnessing arguments between Ramos and his mother. He said that his son’s friendship with Ramos fizzled about four years ago.

A few months ago, Ramos moved to live with his grand-mother across town, according to Mr Flores.

Texas attorney general calls for teachers to be armed after massacre in Uvalde

07:40 , Holly Bancroft

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has repeated his call to arm teachers after a shooter killed more than a dozen children and one teacher at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.

Mr Paxton made the remarks after police killed Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old man, who opened fire and killed 21 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

The Texas attorney general spoke on Newsmax in the middle of campaigning in a runoff primary against Land Commissioner George P Bush where polls close Tuesday evening.

Read the full story by Eric Garcia here:

Texas attorney general calls for teachers to be armed after massacre in Uvalde

Taylor Swift ‘filled with rage and grief’ over Robb Elementary attack

07:19 , Namita Singh

Taylor Swift has shared her heartbreak over the school shooting in Texas that claimed the lives of 19 elementary students and two adults.

“Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde. By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others,” wrote Swift as she shared a video of grief-stricken Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, whose team was set to play a game 400 miles from where the fatal shooting took place.

“By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak. Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep.”

Speaking ahead of the game, Kerr refused to answer any questions about basketball but instead delivered an emotional plea for gun control.

Read the details in this report by Peony Hirwani:

Taylor Swift ‘filled with rage and grief’ over Texas school shooting

‘One nation under guns’: Amanda Gorman shares searing poem hours after Texas school shooting

07:18 , Namita Singh

Amanda Gorman has shared a poem on Twitter about the attack in Uvalde, Texas where a gunman killed at least 19 students and two adults at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday, 24 May.

“Schools scared to death. The truth is, one education under desks, Stooped low from bullets; That plunge when we ask Where our children Shall live & how [and] if,” wrote the 23-year-old poet.

“It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity – it’s inhumanity,” Gorman wrote.

“The truth is, one nation under guns.

“What might we be if only we tried. What might we become if only we’d listen.”

My colleague Peony Hirwani reports:

Amanda Gorman shares searing poem about Texas shooting: ‘One nation under guns’

‘Texas school shooting is beyond comprehension,’ says James Corden

07:11 , Namita Singh

James Corden, comedian and the host of the Late Late Show said the thought of his child being in a school shooting is “beyond comprehension” as he slammed the gun laws in America as “one of the most backward places in the world”.

Speaking during a monologue after the recording of his show on Tuesday, Corden addressed the Texas school shooting.

“As a father, I can’t imagine the horror of that phone call,” he said.

“When I dropped my kids off at school this morning and kissed them goodbye, it doesn’t cross your mind that that could ever be the last goodbye.

“And the thought of that phone call, that your child is the victim in a mass shooting is beyond comprehension as a human being.”

He continued: “I’m so deeply sad for the families of these children, the trauma of the survivors and for the future these kids will never see.

“It doesn’t make sense to me. It doesn’t reflect the country that I think America is, the America I have always admired.

“You have a problem, you solve it.

“Yet on this issue, America is one of the most backward places in the world.

James Corden

He added: “I’ll probably be stood here in a week or two, talking about another place.

“Words of thoughts and prayers will come from our leaders but I fear change never will.

“I hold out hope that this country will eventually change this senseless gun culture and my heart simply goes out to every person in Texas tonight.”

We must do better’ says McConaughey

07:05 , Namita Singh

Condemning the school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, actor Matthew McConaughey demanded that the country “must do better”.

The spate of mass shootings across America is “an epidemic we can control”, he said in a statement.

“As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas,” McConaughey said.

“Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us.

Matthew McConaughey

“Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.

“And to those who dropped off their loved ones today not knowing it was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming.”

Another victim identified as Xavier Javier Lopez, 10

07:04 , Namita Singh

Xavier Javier Lopez, 10, was awaiting a summer of swimming, said his 54-year-old cousin, Lisa Garza as she grieved his killing in the deadly school shooting.

“He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,” she said. “He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, his mom. This has just taken a toll on all of us.”

Lamenting the lax gun laws in the country, she said: “We should have more restrictions, especially if these kids are not in their right state of mind and all they want to do is just hurt people, especially innocent children going to the schools.”

Eight-year-old Uziyah Garcia killed in deadly school shooting

06:46 , Namita Singh

Eight-year-old Uziyah Garcia, has been identified as one of the 19 students killed in Tuesday’s attack at Robb Elementary School.

“The sweetest little boy that I’ve ever known,” said his grandfather Manny Renfro, mourning the death of his grandson. “I’m not just saying that because he was my grandkid.”

Mr Renfro said Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo during spring break.

“We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns. Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,” he recalled. “There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.”

Apple TV cancels LA premiere of Physical season two

06:43 , Namita Singh

Apple TV reportedly cancelled the premiere of the second season of its comedy-drama Physical “out of respect” for victims of the deadly mass shooting at a primary school in Texas.

The premiere was due to take place on Tuesday night in Los Angeles but was turned into a private event following the incident.

“Out of respect for today’s tragedy in Texas, tonight’s screening of Physical season two will be a private event with no press,” a statement from Physical’s cast and creative team, shared by US media outlets, said.

“We thank you for wanting to be there with us, and know that you join with us in our heartfelt support for all of the families affected by today’s event.

“We’re grateful for your understanding.”

'FBI’ season finale pulled after deadly shooting

06:21 , Namita Singh

CBS pulled the season finale of “FBI” after a deadly elementary school shooting in Texas.

The network said Tuesday that it will not air the show’s season four finale titled “Prodigal Son.”

The finale’s storyline involved a suspected student’s participation in a deadly robbery. It’s unclear whether the episode will air in the future.

The synopsis reads: “As the team investigates a deadly robbery that garnered a cache of automatic weapons for the killers, they discover one of the perps is a classmate of Jubal’s son, who is reluctant to cooperate.”

Sports world condemns school shooting

06:20 , Namita Singh

The sports world reacted swiftly Tuesday to the news of an 18-year-old gunman opening fire at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and killing at least 19 children.

“My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX! Like when is enough enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously ‘AT SCHOOL’ where it’s suppose to be the safest!” tweeted American basketball player, LeBron James.

“The news of what’s happening, not just here in Texas but throughout our country, is sad,” said Mavericks coach Jason Kidd.

“The unthinkable and unimaginable. As I look at my daughter my heart is hurting for all the lives lost and their loved ones. A parents worst nightmare. Enough is enough. No more gun violence, no more terrorism. This is sickening,” said Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart.

“Breaks my heart hearing this news, no parent should ever have to lose there child. Praying for the families of those kids and the teacher ... this is devastating,” wrote Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum.

Biden calls for new restrictions on firearms

06:17 , Namita Singh

Lamenting a uniquely American tragedy, President Joe Biden told the nation on Tuesday night it was time to “turn this pain into action” and change gun laws following a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that killed at least 21 people.

He spoke Tuesday night from the White House barely an hour after returning from a five-day trip to Asia that was bracketed by mass shootings in the US.

“Why are we willing to live with this carnage?” he said, hoarsely and visibly emotional. “Where in God’s name is our backbone, to have the courage to deal with this and stand up to the [gun] lobbies?”

With first lady Jill Biden standing by his side in the Roosevelt Room, the president said: “To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away.”

“There’s a hollowness in your chest. You feel like you’re being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out.”

He called on the nation to hold the victims and families in prayer — but also to work harder to prevent the next tragedy.

Read more in this report by my colleague Josh Marcus:

‘Where in God’s name is our backbone?’: Biden demands reform after Texas shooting

Teacher killed in school shooting identified as Eva Mireles

05:54 , Namita Singh

Eva Mireles, a teacher of 17 years who taught fourth graders at Robb Elementary, has been identified as one of two adults killed in the school shooting, with confirmation coming from her aunt Lydia M Delgado.

She was “very loved”, an avid hiker and “fun of the party”, Ms Delgado told the New York Times.

“She was adventurous. I would definitely say those wonderful things about her. She is definitely going to be very missed,” said 44-year-old relative Amber Ybarra, of San Antonio.

Ms Ybarra was preparing to give blood for the wounded and was pondering how no one was able to spot possible problems in the shooter in time to stop him.

“To me, it’s more about raising mental health awareness,” said Ms Ybarra, a wellness coach who attended the elementary school where the shooting happened. “Someone could possibly have seen a dramatic change before something like this happened.”

Deadliest school shooting in Texas

05:45 , Namita Singh

The tragedy in Uvalde’s elementary school was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history and it added to a grim tally in the state, which has been the site of some of the deadliest shootings in the US over the past five years.

In 2018, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area.

A year before that, a gunman at a Texas church killed more than two dozen people during a Sunday service in the small town of Sutherland Springs.

In 2019, another gunman at a Walmart in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist attack.

Hollywood stars express ‘rage and grief’

05:30 , Namita Singh

Taylor Swift, Amy Schumer and Chris Evans were among the famous faces expressing “rage and grief” in the wake of a deadly mass shooting at a primary school in Texas.

They called for an end to violence as they criticised the US government over the lax gun laws.

Sharing a video of Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who delivered an emotional message in a press conference before the NBA western conference finals, Swift tweeted: “Filled with rage and grief, and so broken by the murders in Uvalde.”

“By Buffalo, Laguna Woods and so many others. By the ways in which we, as a nation, have become conditioned to unfathomable and unbearable heartbreak.

“Steve’s words ring so true and cut so deep.”

Oscar’s co-host Schumer said: “We are grieving with the Uvalde community, a predominantly Latinx community, and everyone else impacted by yet another senseless act of violence in our schools.

“This is yet another tragic example of how pervasive this public health crisis is in our country.”

While Evans wrote: “F****** enough!”

Oscar-winning producer Finneas also expressed anger at the situation, writing: “Anyone saying ‘now isn’t the time to talk about gun control’ doesn’t care that kids got f****** murdered today.”

Posting on her Instagram story, reality star Kylie Jenner, who recently gave birth to her second child with rapper Travis Scott, said: “Another school shooting. Devastating.

“Breaks my heart for these families.”

Relatives worry and grieve elementary school shooting

05:26 , Namita Singh

Relatives turned to social media in a desperate attempt to find the missing children as the death toll in Texas elementary school shooting rose to 19.

Adolfo Cruz, a 69-year-old air conditioning repairman, was still outside the school as the sun set, waiting for word on his 10-year-old great-granddaughter, Elijah Cruz Torres, whose whereabouts remained unknown to the family.

He drove to the school after receiving a tearful call from his daughter about the firing at the school.

While he waited outside the school, his family was at the hospital and civic centre waiting for word on her condition.

“I hope she is alive,” he said, calling it the heaviest moment of his life. “They are waiting for an update.”

“It’s a shock for me. I also feel for all the other families. This is a small community. Uvalde has always been real friendly. People are real friendly,” he added.

Social media was flooded with pictures of smiling children, as their families begged for information about them.

Sarah Sanders invokes Texas shooting to push for Republican’s anti-abortion agenda

05:08 , Namita Singh

Sarah Sanders, who won the Republican nomination for governor in Arkansas on Tuesday, invoked the fatal shooting of at least 19 children at a Texas elementary school as a “stark and humbling reminder of just how precious life is”.

“Every single life has value and the most vulnerable among us should be those that we are fighting for and protecting the most,” Ms Sanders said.

“I can assure you that in my administration, that’s exactly what we will do. We will make sure that when a kid is in the womb, they’re as safe as they are in the classroom, the workplace, the nursing home, because every stage of life has value.”

NBA-Warriors coach calls for gun control

05:07 , Namita Singh

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr called for stricter gun control after the Texas school shooting.

A visibly shaken Kerr, who has been an advocate of tighter gun laws, said he would not discuss the Warriors’ Eastern Conference finals game against the Dallas Mavericks.

“Any basketball questions don’t matter ... ,” he told reporters. “In the last 10 days, we’ve had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we’ve had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California.

Steve Kerr

He also slammed lawmakers for blocking efforts to advance gun control measures.

“Do you realise that 90 per cent of Americans, regardless of political party, want background checks, universal background checks? 90 per cent of us,” Kerr said.

“We are being held hostage by 50 Senators in Washington who refuse to even put it to a vote, despite what we the American people want. They won’t vote on it because they want to hold on to their own power.”

Texas pupils shattered by shooting

04:45 , Namita Singh

The students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas were two days away from their summer break when Tuesday’s massacre unfolded.

They had visited the zoo and participated in a gifted-and-talented showcase, recent posts on the school’s Facebook page showed.

Tuesday was awards day, according to the calendar, and pupils were invited to wear a nice outfit and fun shoes as part of a “footloose and fancy” theme.

But at around 11.43 am a note was posted on the Facebook feed: “Please know at this time Robb Elementary is under a Lockdown Status due to gunshots in the area. The pupils and staff are safe in the building.”

Then came another message: “There is an active shooter at Robb Elementary. Law enforcement is on site.”

This was followed by more devastating news: the 18-year-old gunman opened fire at the school killing 19 children and two adults

“Our hearts are breaking for the families that have been affected by this evil,” Susan Vanderwier of Indiana wrote on the school’s Facebook page.

Recap: What we know so far about the Texas school shooting

04:28 , Namita Singh

Nineteen students and two adults were shot dead in a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, officials have confirmed.

A lone gunman is believed to have opened fire shortly before midday at Robb Elementary School and the school was immediately placed into lockdown.

Mr Abbott confirmed the shooter, who he named as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old from Uvalde, had been killed.

“He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and a teacher,” said governor Greg Abbott before the death toll was ultimately revised upwards.

Read the details in this report by Bevan Hurley:

Texas school shooting: Everything we know so far

Everything we know about Texas school mass shooter

04:19 , Namita Singh

A gunman who killed at least 19 students and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday has been named as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.

He was a student at Uvalde High School who lived in the small city 130 km (80 miles) west of San Antonio, according to governor Greg Abbott.

Ramos had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, state senator Roland Gutierrez, who was briefed by police, told reporters. “He suggested the kids should watch out,” the lawmaker said.

He reportedly shot his grandmother before driving to Robb Elementary just before midday on Tuesday, Mr Abbott said at a news briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

My colleague Bevan Hurley reporting the details:

Salvador Ramos as: Everything we know about Texas school mass shooter

LeBron James reacts to shooting: ‘When is enough enough, man?’

04:00 , Nathan Place

Basketball superstar LeBron James has made a strongly worded statement on the Texas shooting that left at least 15 people dead.

“My thoughts and prayers goes out to the families of love ones loss & injured at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX!” Mr James tweeted. “Like when is enough enough man!!! These are kids and we keep putting them in harms way at school. Like seriously ‘AT SCHOOL’ where it’s suppose to be the safest!”

Read more here:

LeBron James reacts to Texas school shooting that killed 14 students and a teacher

Texas attorney general calls for teachers to be armed

03:30 , Nathan Place

Just hours after a school shooting claimed at least 15 lives in Texas, the state’s attorney general called for what he said was the only possible solution: arming teachers.

“The reality is we don’t have the resources to have law enforcement at every school,” Attorney General Ken Paxton said. “It takes time for law enforcement, no matter how prepared, no matter how good they are, to get there. So having the right training for some of these people at the school is the best hope.”

Read more here:

Texas attorney general calls for teachers to be armed after massacre in Uvalde

Death toll rises again

03:23 , David Taintor

The student death toll has risen to 19, according to Texas officials. Two adults were also killed in the shooting.

Ted Cruz blasted for ‘prayer’ tweet after Texas massacre

03:00 , Nathan Place

Twitter users are lashing out at Senator Ted Cruz after he offered his “prayers” for the children killed in Uvalde, Texas, but made no mention of gun control.

“Heidi & I are fervently lifting up in prayer the children and families in the horrific shooting in Uvalde,” the Republican senator tweeted on Tuesday. “We are in close contact with local officials, but the precise details are still unfolding. Thank you to heroic law enforcement & first responders for acting so swiftly.”

But on Twitter, many pointed out Mr Cruz’s fervent opposition to gun control legislation. In fact, Mr Cruz is slated to speak at the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting in Houston later this week.

Read more here:

Ted Cruz condemned for ‘prayer’ tweet after Texas elementary school shooting massacre

Families line up for DNA swabs

02:47 , David Taintor

The family members of victims of the shooting lined up for a swab to share DNA with investigators, according to a local report.

Uvalde parent praises slain teacher Eva Mireles as ‘beautiful person and dedicated teacher’

02:47 , Graeme Massie

Ms Mireles has been identified by her family as a victim of the gunman, who also killed 18 students in the rampage.

“My daughter’s beautiful teacher was the teacher who was killed in Uvalde, TX. Eva (Ms Mireles) taught Gabby in elementary school. She was a beautiful person & dedicated teacher. She believed in Gabby & went above & beyond to teach her as you can see below. There are no words,” tweeted @audreymg0928.

AOC condemns Republicans for ‘idolatry of violence’

02:30 , Nathan Place

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez slammed Republicans for their continued opposition to gun control on Tuesday, after a mass shooting in Texas killed at least 15 people.

“There is no such thing as being ‘pro-life’ while supporting laws that let children be shot in their schools, elders in grocery stores, worshippers in their houses of faith, survivors by abusers, or anyone in a crowded place,” the Democrat tweeted. “It is an idolatry of violence. And it must end.”

Read more here:

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attacks ‘pro life’ GOP over Texas school shooting

‘Where in God’s name is our backbone?’: Biden demands reform after Texas elementary school massacre

02:13 , Graeme Massie

President Biden told the nation on Tuesday night it was time to “turn this pain into action” following a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that killed at least 21 people.

Josh Marcus has the story.

‘Where in God’s name is our backbone?’: Biden demands reform after Texas shooting

Nancy Pelosi condemns lawmakers’ ‘hollow words,’ urges Congress to act

02:00 , Nathan Place

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has issued a statement on the massacre in Uvalde, Texas, offering her condolences to the victims’ families but also admonishing Congress to act.

“Words are inadequate to describe the agony & outrage at the cold-blooded massacre of little schoolchildren & a teacher at Robb Elementary School today,” the Democrat tweeted. “For too long, some in Congress have offered hollow words after shootings while opposing all efforts to save lives. It is time for all in Congress to heed the will of the American people & join in enacting the House-passed bipartisan, commonsense, life-saving legislation into law.”

Biden: ‘Why are we willing to live with this carnage?'

01:51 , Graeme Massie

Joe Biden has slammed the gun lobby as he spoke from the White House about the Texas school shooting that killed 18 kids and three adults.

“When in God’s name will we stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name?” the preident asked as he begged for political leaders in the country to “stand up for what we know needs to be done.”

And he added: “Where in God’s name is our backbone?”

Gunman bought two assault rifles for 18th birthday, report says

01:50 , Graeme Massie

The Texas school shooting suspect bought himself two assault rifles for his 18th birthday, according to a report.

KTSM9 reported that the information was given to State Senator Roland Gutierrez in a briefing from Texas state Rangers.

NBA coach slams GOP over gun control

01:43 , Graeme Massie

Steve Kerr was angry and emotional as he addressed the shooting before the Golden State warriors playoff game.

First Lady tweets ‘Stunned. Angry. Heartbroken.'

01:37 , Graeme Massie

Jill Biden, who is an educator, took to Twitter to emotionally adress the Texas elementary school shooting.

“Lord, enough. Little children and their teacher. Stunned. Angry. Heartbroken,” she wrote.

Greg Abbott and Ted Cruz will speak at NRA conference on Friday

01:30 , Nathan Place

Just three days after a shooting killed at least 14 schoolchildren and one teacher, two of Texas’ top leaders are heading to an event celebrating guns.

Governor Greg Abbott and Senator Ted Cruz, both Republicans, are scheduled to speak at the National Rifle Association’s conference in Houston on Friday.

We saw a little girl full of blood’: Witnesses describe Texas school shooting

01:24 , Graeme Massie

Witnesses are describing the horrific scene in a small town in Texas where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos allegedly killed 18 children and three adults at an elementary school in the town of Uvalde before being shot.

Josh Marcus has the story.

‘We saw a little girl full of blood’: Witnesses describe Texas school shooting

First victim of shooting identifued by family

01:15 , Graeme Massie

The first victim of the Uvalde school massacre has been identified as Eva Mireles, a 4th Grade Teacher at Robb Elementary. Her identity was confirmed to KSAT by her family.

Death toll rises to 18 children, 3 adults

01:02 , Nathan Place

The death toll of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas has risen to 18 children and three adults, the Texas Tribune has reported.

Marjorie Taylor Greene responds to shooting: ‘We don’t need more gun control'

01:00 , Nathan Place

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has issued a statement on the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, and it explicitly rules out new gun laws.

“Our nation needs to take a serious look at the state of mental health today,” the Republican tweeted. “America is failing our youngest generations from decades of rejecting good moral values and teachings. We don’t need more gun control. We need to return to God.”

Read more here:

Marjorie Taylor Greene tweets ‘we don’t need more gun control’ in response to Uvalde

Democratic senator pleads for action on gun violence: ‘What are we doing?’

Wednesday 25 May 2022 00:45 , Nathan Place

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy has repeatedly demanded legislative action in the wake of mass shootings, including the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary in his state of Connecticut, where 20 young children were fatally shot in 2012.

Hours after the killings of at least 14 students at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on 24 May, Senator Murphy returned to the Senate floor to plead with his colleagues.

“What are we doing?” Senator Murphy repeatedly asked. “Just days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down African American patrons, we have another Sandy Hook on our hands. What are we doing? ... Why do you spend all this time running for the United States Senate? Why do you go through all the hassle of getting this job, of putting yourself in a position of authority, if your answer is that as the slaughter increases, as our kids run for their lives, we do nothing? What are we doing?”

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Democratic senator pleads with Senate for action on gun violence after Texas massacre

Congressman lashes out at GOP for continued shootings

Wednesday 25 May 2022 00:30 , Nathan Place

Rep Eric Swalwell of California has lashed out at his Republican colleagues for continuing to block gun control measures in spite of the country’s increasingly frequent shootings, calling gun violence in America a “GOP design.”

“I wish I could look at my 3 small kids & promise I’ll always protect them,” the Democrat tweeted on Tuesday. “That’d be a lie. America arms the most dangerous people to the teeth, leaving every child vulnerable to being shot in their class. This is not a policy defect. It is by GOP design.”

Senator’s speech pleading for action on gun violence goes viral

Wednesday 25 May 2022 00:15 , Nathan Place

A video of Senator Chris Murphy’s impassioned speech following the Uvalde shooting has gone viral, garnering more than 150,000 views in its first 20 minutes on Twitter.

“What are we doing?” Mr Murphy asks his Senate colleagues. “Why are you here if not to solve a problem as existential as this?”

Biden orders flags flown at half-staff for shooting victims

Wednesday 25 May 2022 00:00 , Nathan Place

President Biden has ordered all American flags at the White House and other public buildings to be lowered to half-mast in honor of the shooting victims in Uvalde, Texas.

“As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on May 24, 2022, by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas... I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds,” Mr Biden said in a statement. “I also direct that the flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.”

A Proclamation Honoring The Victims Of The Tragedy In Uvalde, Texas | The White House