Gunman's chilling question to cousin about his school a week before shooting
A relative of Texas school shooter Salvador Ramos has revealed the teen questioned her young son about his primary school a week before he shot and killed 19 students and two teachers.
Shelby Celeste Salazar said her son — a student at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde — was forced to run and hide in a classroom on Tuesday after his second cousin stormed the building with an AR-15 assault rifle.
Just days earlier, Ramos had reportedly pressed his young relative for details about his school, asking where he attended and what time students were let out of class for lunch, Ms Salazar told Daily Mail.
At the time, Ms Salazar said she "didn't think anything of it" and said Ramos and her son "had a good relationship". The mum-of-four said she was shocked to learn her cousin had targeted Robb Elementary during his killing spree.
Ms Salazar revealed that she and her kids were living with Ramos and their grandmother, Celia Gonzalez, who the 18-year-old shot in the face just moments before the school massacre.
Ms Gonzalez is reportedly recovering in hospital.
'He knew my baby went to school there'
Ms Salazar said she "can't grasp" why her cousin would do what he did, particularly since her son was at school during the attack.
"He knew my baby went to school there. That's why I'm at a loss for words. I just saw the news with text messages and started freaking out," she told Daily Mail.
"If he could do that to my grandma, I don't know how to feel about the school thing, knowing my baby went to school there. My son and him were so close this is why I'm shocked."
The devastated mum said she has no idea whether or not her cousin targeted her son or if avoiding his classroom was intentional.
"No one can say they knew what he was thinking or how he felt, or even why he felt he need to shoot our grandmother and all those innocent babies," she said.
Ms Salazar said her cousin was "always laughing and joking", but his demeanour took a turn in recent months because of his troubled relationship with his mum.
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In the wake of the massacre, Ramos's mum, Adriana Reyes, said her son "wasn't a violent person."
Contradicting Ms Salazar's claims, Ms Reyes said she had a good relationship with her son.
Ramos was shot and killed by police during the ordeal, however, law enforcement have since been criticised for how long it took them to act.
Ramos walked into the school at around 11:40am on Tuesday morning, and while local police were aware of the situation within minutes, the suspect's rampage was not stopped until Border Force officers arrived at 12.45pm – more than an hour later.
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