21 Killed in Texas School Gun Massacre

Nineteen children and two adults have died following a gunman opening fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The primary school teaches children under .

The eighteen-year-old suspect was killed by law enforcement on site, and is suspected of having also shot his grandmother prior to driving to the school and abandoning his vehicle at 11.32am local time on Tuesday 25th May. He is predicted to have been inside the school for 40 minutes.

Several district police officers sighted the suspect as he entered the school and attempted to stop him but were unable to do so; although there have been claims that more could have been done to prevent the attacker entering the building. The incident is amongst over 200 mass shootings that have already taken place in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the event a “senseless crime [which] could have been worse”, yet is a Republican politician known for blocking Democratic party attempts to change gun laws. He instead called for better mental health programmes across the state at a news conference at Robb Elementary School; “we, as a state, we as a society, need to do better with mental health”.

The families of the 21 now identified victims have began to speak out in mourning over the loss of their loved ones.

The mother of Xavier Lopez, aged 10, telling the Washington Post that “he was funny, never serious, and his smile…that smile I will never forget. It would always cheer anyone up”.

Daughter of Eva Mireles, aged 44, expressed her anguish through a Twitter post, “I keep telling myself that this isn’t real. I just want to hear your voice”, and acknowledged Mireles’ heroism in jumping in front of her students in an attempt to save their lives.

My sweet mommy , I will miss you forever. 🤍🕊 pic.twitter.com/SIxKrgX6Xi

— Adalynn ✞💛 (@addy_celeste) May 25, 2022

President Joe Biden announced to CNN during a conference on police reform that he will soon travel to Uvalde to meet the families of the victims.

“Jill and I will be traveling to Texas in the coming days to meet with the families and let them know we have a sense of their pain, and hopefully bring some little comfort to a community in shock, in grief and in trauma”.

The Disaster Distress Helpline is available 24/7 365 days a year and provides counselling and support to individuals experiencing emotional distress. Additionally, over $3.1m has been raised by a VictimsFirst GoFundMe fund, donations from which will go directly to the victims and survivors of the shooting.

Up next, Matthew McConaughey Speaks Out After Shooting In Uvalde, Texas