Texas elementary school shooting kills 19 children, 2 adults
[Associated Press]
UVALDE, Texas – Authorities say the victim death toll from the Texas school shooting now stands at 19 children and two adults.
The latest figures come from Travis Considine, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The gunman, an 18-year-old man, also died. He was killed by responding officers.
It happened at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 85 miles west of San Antonio.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says the shooter had a handgun and possibly a rifle.
Three people wounded in the attack are hospitalized in serious condition.
Hal Harrell, superintendent of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, said that Robb Elementary will be closed and all school activities will be canceled 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."
Earlier story:
At least two hospitals are treating patients Tuesday after a shooter prompted a lockdown at a Texas elementary school. The nature and severity of those injuries wasn’t immediately known. However, ABC News is reporting as many as 14 are dead including several children.
Hospital officials say two people were dead and more than a dozen children hospitalized as multiple medical centers cared for people injured in a shooting at a Texas elementary school. Police have said the suspected shooter is in custody.
Thirteen children were taken by ambulance or bus to Uvalde Memorial Hospital after an active shooter was reported at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 85 miles (135 kilometers) west of San Antonio, officials with the hospital said. The health of the children is unclear as is whether the dead are included in that count.
Another hospital, University Hospital in San Antonio, said a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition.
The nature and severity of the people’s injuries wasn’t immediately known, but the shooter was in custody shortly after 1 p.m, the Uvalde Police Department said.
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District had said an active shooter was reported at Robb Elementary School, which has an enrollment of just under 600 students. Earlier, the district had said that all schools in the district were locked down because of gunshots in the area.
A Uvalde Police Department dispatcher said the scene was still active and that no other information was immediately available. School and city officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.
The district said that the city’s civic center was being used as a reunification center.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.