Live

Israel-Hamas war

Live

Tornado risk in Central US

Recap

Met Gala 2024

May 25 Texas shooting news

By Travis Caldwell, Seán Federico-O'Murchú, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal, Melissa Macaya and Mike Hayes, CNN

Updated 7:04 p.m. ET, May 26, 2022

What we're covering

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, the Texas Department for Public Safety said.
The 18-year-old gunman was on the school premises for up to an hour before law enforcement forcibly entered a classroom and killed him, officials said.
Just before the mass shooting, the gunman allegedly texted a teenage girl about his intentions to attack and authorities say he shot his grandmother. The woman remains hospitalized.
President Biden said he will travel to Texas to visit the victims' families "in the coming days." He called on the US to turn its collective pain into political action following the deadliest elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook in 2012.
See full coverage of the Texas school shooting here.

12 Posts

Sort by

8:20 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Golden State Warriors' Damion Lee: "It's easier to get a gun than baby formula right now"

From CNN's Travis Caldwell

Following Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, Golden State Warriors guard/forward Damion Lee said of the Uvalde school mass shooting: “It’s sad the world that we live in.”

“Guns shouldn't be as easily accessible. Like it's easier to get a gun than baby formula right now. That's unbelievable in this country that we live in,” Lee said to reporters.

Noting there have been more mass shootings in 2022 than the number of days, Lee added, “We need to be better than that. It's supposed to be, you know, the greatest country in the world, and it's just ridiculous. This is senseless, losing our lives.”

The game, in which the Mavericks defeated the Warriors 119-109, was played in Dallas. Game 5 will be played Thursday night in San Francisco.

Some context: Prior to Tuesday’s game, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters "basketball questions don't matter" right now, referencing the mass shooting, adding, "When are we going to do something?"

A fiery Kerr called out "50 senators who refuse to vote on HR-8," a House bill that strengthens firearm background checks, claiming, "They won't vote on it because they want to hold onto their own power."

"50 senators in Washington are going to hold us hostage," Kerr said. "It's pathetic, I've had enough."

Video: NBA's Steve Kerr on school shooting: When are we going to do something! - CNN Video

Golden State's Steph Curry said at a postgame press conference he appreciated Kerr's leadership and comments, and that the shooting "was on everybody's mind coming into the game."

"I can't even imagine the pain for Coach to say what he said, and every word he said was powerful, was meaningful," Curry said.

CNN's Jill Martin contributed reporting to this post.

1:36 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Analysis: Media coverage of Texas school massacre invokes Sandy Hook

Analysis from CNN's Oliver Darcy

"Mass shootings have become America's copy and paste tragedy," Politico's Tyler Weyant wrote Tuesday evening. "We change the place, the town, the number of dead and injured. But the constant is lives lost, people who cannot be brought back, and the nation is left in a numb daze."

At least, until, it happens again. In this case, it only took 10 days from the last slaughter for another spasm of senseless violence and terror to force the nation to go through the motions once again.

It's all so predictable and formulaic at this point. First come the initial reports of a shooting, then details about fatalities and injuries, then details about the shooter and motive, and finally the tributes to the dead. All the while, there are widespread calls for the US to take some -- any -- action to stop these regular massacres from occurring while Fox personalities and GOP leaders insist the shooting shouldn't be "politicized."

Read the full analysis here:

Analysis: Media coverage of Texas school massacre invokes Sandy Hook

6:13 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Matthew McConaughey says "we must do better" after massacre in his hometown of Uvalde

From CNN's Amanda Jackson

Matthew McConaughey, who was born in Uvalde where at least 21 people were killed Tuesday, described gun violence as an "epidemic we can control."

"Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us," the 52-year-old actor said in a statement.

"The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?' We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo," he said on Instagram.

McConaughey called on all Americans to "renegotiate our wants from our needs," adding that "we have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children’s issue."

"This is an epidemic we can control, and whichever side of the aisle we may stand on, we all know we can do better. We must do better. Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured.
"To those who dropped their loved ones off to school not knowing that today was goodbye, no words can comprehend or heal your loss, but if prayers can provide comfort, we will keep them coming."

Some background: The star of movies such as "Dallas Buyers Club" and "The Lincoln Lawyer" has maintained a close relationship with his home state -- and last year weighed a run for governor.

When he decided not to run, he said in part:

"As a simple kid born in the little town of Uvalde, Texas, it never occurred to me that I would one day be considered for political leadership. It is a humbling and inspiring path to ponder. It is also a path that I'm choosing not to take at this moment," he said.

12:47 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Archbishop of San Antonio: Mass shootings cannot be considered "the new normal"

From CNN's Paradise Afshar

The Archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia Seller, comforts families outside of the Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, May 24. (Dario Lopez-Mills/AP)

In response to the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Antonio called on elected officials to work with citizens toward preventing such attacks in the future.

“When will these insane acts of violence end; it is too great a burden to bear. The word tragedy doesn’t begin to describe what occurred. These massacres cannot be considered ‘the new normal,’" Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller, said in a statement.
“The Catholic Church consistently calls for the protection of all life; and these mass shootings are a most pressing life issue on which all in society must act — elected leaders and citizens alike.
“We pray that God comfort and offer compassion to the families of these little ones whose pain is unbearable. They must know that we are with them and for them. May the Lord have mercy on us all.”

12:14 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Here's what we know about the deadliest US elementary school shooting since Sandy Hook

Members of the community gather at the City of Uvalde Town Square for a prayer vigil on Tuesday, May 24, in Uvalde, Texas. (Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Images)

At least 19 students and 2 adults were killed Tuesday in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio, authorities said.

The gunman, identified by officials as Salvador Ramos, is dead and is believed to have acted alone. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the 18-year-old suspect had attended Uvalde High School.

The shooting was the deadliest at an elementary school since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut that left 26 people dead, including 20 children between 6 and 7 years old.

Here are the latest developments:

Suspect shot grandmother before going to the school: Ramos is believed to have shot his grandmother before heading to the elementary school, three law enforcement sources tell CNN. The grandmother is hospitalized in critical condition, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada said.
Gunman wore body armor, crashed his vehicle before the attack: The suspect crashed his vehicle in a ditch near the school before attempting to enter the premises, Estrada told CNN. Law enforcement engaged the suspect but he was able to get inside, where he "entered several classrooms and started shooting his firearm," Estrada said.
Responding officers faced gunfire, DHS says: At least one Border Patrol agent was wounded by gunfire from the shooter who had barricaded himself inside, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. “Risking their own lives, these Border Patrol Agents and other officers put themselves between the shooter and children on the scene to draw the shooter’s attention away from potential victims and save lives,” spokesperson Marsha Espinosa said.
Photo of guns posted on social media: A photo of two AR15-style rifles appeared on an Instagram account linked to the gunman just three days before Tuesday's shooting. His TikTok page has only a single post of a mobile game, yet the bio under his profile picture reads: “Kids be scared irl” or in real life.
Rest of school year is canceled: Dr. Hal Harrell, superintendent of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, said the rest of the school year, which was supposed to conclude on Thursday, has been canceled. The district will provide "grief counseling and support at the civic center for our students” on Wednesday morning, he said.
Biden calls for Americans ‘to turn this pain into action:’ President Joe Biden called on the US to turn its collective pain into political action following Tuesday’s shooting. “Where in God's name is our backbone, to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbies? It’s time to turn this pain into action,” he said.
There have been more mass shootings than days in 2022: Tuesday, May 24, was the 144th day of the year. There have been at least 212 mass shootings in 2022, according to the nonprofit organization Gun Violence Archive. CNN and the GVA define a mass shooting as a shooting that injured or killed four or more people, not including the shooter.

12:00 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Former classmate says shooter sent him photos of gun and ammunition before the attack

From CNN's Curt Devine and Jeff Winter

A former classmate of school shooter Salvador Ramos said the gunman texted him photos of a firearm he had and a bag full of ammunition days before the attack.

The friend, who did not want to be identified by name, said he was somewhat “close” to Ramos and would hear from him occasionally to play Xbox together.

“He would message me here and there, and four days ago he sent me a picture of the AR he was using … and a backpack full of 5.56 rounds, probably like seven mags.” “I was like, ‘bro, why do you have this?’ and he was like, ‘Don’t worry about it,’” the friend said. “He proceeded to text me, ‘I look very different now. You wouldn’t recognize me,’” he added.

The friend said Ramos was taunted by others for the clothes he wore and his family’s financial situation, and eventually was seen less in class.

“He would, like, not go to school ... and he just, like, slowly dropped out,” the friend said. “He barely came to school.”

He said that after his own graduation, he communicated with Ramos less. But every few months, Ramos would send a text or ask to play Xbox, he said.

12:00 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Father of Parkland school shooting victim: "We know the next one is going to happen because we haven’t done anything to fix it"

From CNN's Amir Vera

Fred Guttenberg's daughter, Jaime, was one of 17 people killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

He spoke with CNN's Anderson Cooper on Tuesday, just hours after 18 children and one adult were killed in Uvalde, Texas.

“This has been a horrific day. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, it brings you right back to that minute. I can’t stop thinking about these families today who need to figure out how they’re going to bury their children, who need to figure out how they’re going to console their other children, who need to figure out how they’re going to deal with the reality that they had other children likely in that school who are going to have PTSD, who need to figure out a eulogy,” Guttenberg said.

Guttenberg said news of another shooting is infuriating "because all of these instances we know the next one is going to happen because we haven’t done anything to fix it."

“I’m just so broken. What’s even worse, it’s not like this country doesn’t want to fix this,” he said.

When asked what message he'd give to families in Uvalde, Guttenberg quoted something his rabbi told him at his daughter's funeral: "We don't move on, we move forward."

“I want everyone to know that they are loved and that they are going to go forward. It's what I call a 'new normal,'" he said. "But the next few minutes, hours, days are going to be brutal."

12:10 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Instagram account linked to gunman posted images of weapons just days before school massacre

From CNN Investigates

A photo of two AR15-style rifles appeared on an Instagram account tied to the suspected Uvalde shooter just three days before Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School.

The photo was posted as a story under the username “salv8dor_.” Multiple classmates confirmed the account belonged to suspected gunman Salvador Ramos, who was shot dead by officers responding to the school shooting.

Ramos’ TikTok page has only a single post – a clip of a Subway Surfers mobile game. The bio under his profile picture reads: “Kids be scared irl” or in real life.

12:11 a.m. ET, May 25, 2022

Biden: "When in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?"

President Biden addressed the nation from the White House on Tuesday, opening his remarks by saying, "I had hoped, when I became President, I would not have to do this, again."

He called today's mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, "another massacre" in the US.

"Beautiful, innocent, second, third, fourth graders. And how many scores of little children who witness what happened, see their friends die, as if they're on a battlefield for God's sake," Biden said.

The President said, "To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away." He said the feeling is "suffocating."

The President called on the nation to pray for the victims and "stand up to the gun lobby" in the wake of today's events.

"So tonight, I ask the nation to pray for them, to give the parents and siblings the strength in the darkness they feel now. As a nation, we have to ask when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God's name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?"