The rampage at an elementary school in Texas is one of the bloodiest in a country infamous for its gun violence
A mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas resulted in the deaths of 19 students at an elementary school and two adults on Tuesday. Another 13 children and one adult are being treated for injuries they received during the gun rampage.
The apparent perpetrator was killed in a shootout with the police responding to the emergency.
Here is what is known so far about the tragedy.
Deadliest since Sandy Hook The number of victims makes it the deadliest mass shooting at a US school since the 2012 Sandy Hooks elementary school massacre. The tragedy in Connecticut resulted in 27 deaths, excluding the gunman.
Gunman posted images of assault rifles The person apparently responsible for the violence in Uvalde was identified by the police as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old local resident. Investigators believe that he acted alone and made no comments about his possible motive. Ramos was described by witnesses as wearing body armor and using a handgun and a rifle during the assault at the elementary school.
Small Latino town Uvalde is located some 110km (70 miles) west of San Antonio. It has a population of about 15,000, some 80% of whom identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to census data.
Reaction of officials Governor Abbott said the entire state was grieving for the victims of what he described as a “senseless crime” in Uvalde. He pledged to allocate all of the necessary resources to respond to the tragedy and provide for the community, and also to conduct a thorough investigation. President Joe Biden proclaimed national mourning for the victims. “common sense” gun regulations, saying they would curb such violence. “These kinds of mass shootings never happen with the kind of frequency they happen in America. Why?” he said in an address. “As a nation, we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby? When in God’s name will we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?”