The 19 children and two teachers killed in Tuesday’s elementary school massacre were in the same classroom, where the gunman “barricaded” himself and fired indiscriminately, a law enforcement official said Wednesday.
Those who were hurt in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde were also injured in that one classroom, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez told CNN.
The shooter “was able to make entry into a classroom, barricaded himself inside that classroom, and again, just began shooting, uh, numerous children and teachers who were in that classroom, having no regard for human life,” he said Wednesday on NBC’s “TODAY” show.
He “just began shooting anyone that was in his way,” Olivarez added.
Olivarez, a father, called Ramos a “complete, evil person.”
Officers who were first to the scene heard the gunfire and attempted to get in but were met with a barrage of bullets, he said. Some of them were hit.
Unable to immediately put a stop to the carnage in the classroom, officers worked to evacuate students and staff from other parts of the building.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Border Patrol Tactical Unit agent and two law enforcement officers entered the school while the shooter was still firing, two law enforcement sources said.
They were able to kill the shooter, identified as Salvador Rolando Ramos, 18, as he continued to fire from behind a barricade, the sources said. A Customs and Border Protection agent was wounded but not fatally.
Many agents live in Uvalde and have connections with the school. Both on- and off-duty Customs and Border Protection officers arrived at the scene to transfer students to safety, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said.
It’s unclear how many students, staff and law enforcement officers were injured. University Hospital in San Antonio said Wednesday that a 66-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl were in serious condition. Another 10-year-old girl and a 9-year-old girl were listed in good condition. The children’s families are with them, according to the hospital.
The shooter was involved in a domestic dispute with his grandmother before he carried out the massacre, officials said. He shot her, got in a car and crashed it near Robb Elementary.
It’s unclear if the gunman targeted the school or simply unleashed terror there because he had crashed his car nearby, Olivarez said on “TODAY.”
He used an AR-style rifle in the shooting, Olivarez told MSNBC. He also was wearing at least a tactical vest, but it’s unclear if he was wearing body armor.
Ramos had no criminal history and investigators are having trouble finding any trace of friends, Olivarez added. He had attended high school in the close-knit community, about 85 miles west of San Antonio.
Kerry Sanders and Tom Winter contributed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
