The assailant “horribly and incomprehensibly shot and killed 14 students and killed a teacher,” Abbott said.
He specified that the attacker, identified as local teenager Salvador Romas, had also “passed away”, adding that “it is believed that the responding agents killed him”.
The White House said that President Joe Biden was briefed on the issue. “His prayers are with the families affected by this terrible event and he will speak tonight when he returns” from his trip to Asia, presidential spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
President Biden has been briefed on the horrific news of the elementary school shooting in Texas and will continue to be briefed regularly as information becomes available.
— Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec)
May 24, 2022
The motives for the attack are unknown at this time. Earlier, Uvalde Memorial Hospital had said on Facebook that it had treated “13 children,” adding that two people “had died” by the time they arrived, without specifying their ages.
A 66-year-old woman is also in “critical condition,” announced another hospital, University Health, located in the nearby city of San Antonio, Texas, which said it had received “two patients,” one adult and one child.
The shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a town between San Antonio and the Mexican border. More than 500 children were enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 school year, according to state data.
Local police had previously said a suspect had been taken into custody following the shooting, which began around noon.