At a press conference on May 27, McCraw said it was the “wrong decision” not to confront Ramos earlier. Here’s a timeline of the Texas school shooting and what we know about it so far.
On May 24, 19 children and two teachers were murdered in a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. At least 17 others, including children, were injured but did not die.
After the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, this is the nation’s second-deadliest K-12 school shooting in history.
Salvador Ramos, 18, has been recognized as the shooter who carried out the attack. He was shot and murdered about 11:30 a.m. that day, just 90 minutes after arriving at the school.
Ramos, a high school dropout, had no criminal or mental health background that officials were aware of. Authorities are still investigating the events surrounding the fatal shooting, so his motivation is unclear.
An representative from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), South Texas regional director Victor Escalon, said at a news conference on May 26 at Robb Elementary that Ramos seemed to have walked unhindered into a school building before the attack, contrary to prior news stories that he had been challenged by a school security officer outside the school.
The following is a rough timeline of what is available so far, including facts about the circumstances leading up to the massacre as well as conflicting stories.
Before May 24
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) verified on May 25 in a briefing to Texas state senators that Ramos turned 18 on May 16 and acquired two semi-automatic firearms separately on May 17 and May 20, according to KHOU. On May 18, he also purchased 375 rounds of 5.56 ammo, according to the ATF.
Day of the Attack
Children and their parents had attended an honor roll event at Robb Elementary previously in the day on May 24.
11:00 a.m.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a press conference on May 25 that Ramos posted three times on Facebook in the 30 minutes before arriving at Robb Elementary school. In his initial Facebook post, he said he was going to shoot his grandmother. In the second message, he stated that he had shot his grandmother, and in the third, he stated that he would shoot an elementary school, but did not mention which one. According to Abbott, the third post was posted 15 minutes before Ramos arrived at the school.
The postings were actually messages, according to Meta, Facebook’s parent corporation.
“It actually on a message … to somebody else that he had had conversation with,” Texas DPS Director Steven McCraw said Friday.
On May 25, Ramos, who had moved in with his grandmother in March, shot her in the face and left her in critical state before fleeing the house and driving 2.29 miles to Robb Elementary, according to McCraw.
After being shot, the grandma, 66, went across the street to a neighbor for assistance. He stated that she had also reported Ramos to the police department. McCraw said she was airlifted to a hospital in San Antonio.
11:28 a.m.
According to law authorities, Ramos crashed into a ditch near the school while driving in his grandmother’s pickup vehicle. He exited from the truck’s passenger side, holding a long gun and a bag that officials subsequently confirmed held the ammunition, according to witnesses.
Before continuing towards the school, Ramos fired two shots at two witnesses outside a funeral home across the street.
He then scaled a fence into a parking area and “multiple times” fired rounds at the school, according to Escalon.
The two witnesses fled the scene unharmed.
On May 25, Texas DPS spokesman Lt. Chris Olivarez informed CBS News that the Texas DPS received calls from local law enforcement about Ramos breaking into the school around this time.
11:30 a.m.
A 911 call is made concerning an automobile accident involving a gunman.
During a press conference on May 27, McCraw claimed the suspect arrived at the school parking lot and began firing at the school.
At the funeral home, police vehicles approach.
According to McCraw, the school resource officer who was initially believed to have confronted the suspect was really confronted by a person, but it was a teacher, not the suspect. The officer proceeded to drive right past the subject.
11:33 a.m.
According to McCraw, the 18-year-old shooter entered the west side of Robb Elementary School.
A instructor had propped the door open.
The suspect opens fire in one of two rooms: room 111 or room 112.
He quickly moves into adjacent classrooms, shooting teachers and students.
In total, over 100 shots were fired.
11:35 a.m.
Three police officers, followed by another group of cops and a sheriff’s deputy, enter the same door Ramos utilized. Bullets grazing the first cops resulted in wounds.
None of the officers attempt to enter the classroom by busting down the door.
11:44 a.m.
According to Escalon, other cops entered the building. People who were inside were evacuated by some.
At one point, there were as many as 19 officers in the corridor.
“There was plenty of officers to do whatever needed to be done with one exception: the incident commander inside believed they needed more equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that point,” McCraw said Friday. The commander “believed that, in fact, it was a barricaded subject that we had time there was no kids at risk,” he said.
Teachers in other classes started “breaking windows trying to evacuate children to prevent any further loss of life” after hearing the gunshots, according to Olivarez of CBS News.
12:03 p.m.
Ramos had invaded room 112, according to a 911 caller.
The conversation lasted for one minute and 23 seconds.
12:10 p.m.
She returned the call and informed me of a number of people who had died.
12:13 p.m.
The caller was on the line once more.
12:15 p.m.
Members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit arrive few minutes later, armed with shields.
12:16 p.m.
The same woman called back to inform that eight or nine students were still alive.
12:19 p.m.
From within the room, another caller dialed 911. Through the phone, three gunshots could be overheard.
12:36 p.m.
Another 911 call has been made. This lasted 21 seconds.
12:43 p.m.
Another 911 call was made.
12:47 p.m.
Another 911 call was made.
12:50 p.m.
Officers break through the door to the classroom and shoot the suspect.
Aftermath
The bodies of all 21 victims of the incident were later discovered in the same classroom. By the 26th of May, they had all been recognized.
The ATF verified on May 25 that Ramos used a Daniel Defense DDM4 V7 rifle in the shooting, according to KHOU. The Daily Dot got a receipt for the purchase on May 24, after the shooting. According to the outlet, Daniel Defense, a gun manufacturer based in Georgia that sells guns online, seems to transport weapons to licensed dealers who then finish the transaction.
The other rifle, a Smith & Wesson M&P 15, was discovered on the ground outside the pickup truck after the shooting, as per state and federal law enforcement officials, reports NBC News.
On May 26, reporters questioned Escalon about why officers were incapable to halt Ramos sooner, as well as what they were doing between 11:44 and 12:45. He replied that he had “taken all those questions into consideration” and that he wanted to share updates later.
At a press conference on May 27, McCraw said it was the “wrong decision” not to confront Ramos earlier.
He said that “the on-scene commander at the time believed that it had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject.”
Ramos entered the school through a door propped open by a teacher just moments before, he said.
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Whenever they want to stage an attack against the arms laws, something like this happens.
Of course, it had to happen in a Republican federal state.
I bet the assailant was known to the FBI or CIA. Would not be the first time.