Texas school shooting: Gunman's chilling message as haunting video emerges
Disturbing details have emerged about the teenage gunman who shot dead at least 19 students, one teacher and one other at a Texas primary school.
Salvador Ramos, 18, who was shot dead by police, opened fire at Robb Elementary School in the town of Uvalde on Tuesday morning (local time). In addition to the deceased, multiple injured children have been rushed to nearby hospitals.
Images from his now-removed Instagram account indicate a gun-obsessed teenager, with several photos of guns and one believed to be him holding the magazine of a rifle, the Daily Mail reported.
According to claims from one female Instagram user, Ramos messaged her, tagging her in a photo of guns, saying: "I got lil secret. I wanna tell you."
"Be grateful I tagged you," he later told her, a screenshot of the message chain indicates.
The user responded: "No it's just scary..."
On her Instagram stories seen by Yahoo, she said she did not know Ramos and he had randomly tagged her in his post.
He later messaged: "I'm about to."
She questioned what to which he responded saying he would message later.
She denied speculation online she was Ramos's girlfriend.
Police later pictured Ramos, a high school student in the same town as the shooting, the ABC reported.
Video from school grounds emerges
Unverified video shared on social media appears to show a man, believed to be Ramos, moving between school buildings.
The person can be seen lurking beside a car park before disappearing out of shot.
Texas Department of Public Safety Sergeant Erick Estrada told CNN Ramos crashed a vehicle in a ditch near the school.
"That’s where he exited his vehicle with what I believe was a rifle and that’s when he attempted to enter the school where he was engaged by law enforcement," he said.
"Unfortunately, he was able to enter the premises and then from there that’s when he entered several classrooms and started shooting his firearm.”
He was wearing body armour, a backpack and armed with a long rifle, Mr Estrada said.
Biden asks where's America's backbone
The shooting, which at 21 deaths makes it the third deadliest school shooting in the US, has reignited calls for tighter gun laws in the US.
US Vice President Kamala Harris responded to the shooting by saying "enough is enough".
"As a nation we have to have the courage to take action," she said.
President Joe Biden followed, saying he was "sick and tired" of learning of new mass shootings in the US, calling for gun reform.
"We have to act. And don't tell me we can't have an impact on this carnage," he said.
"Why do we keep letting this happen? Where in God’s name is our backbone to have the courage to deal with and stand up to the lobbyists?"
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