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Uvalde community grieving after deadly school shooting

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The small community in Uvalde is figuring out how to move forward after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 children and two teachers.

Families, siblings, parents and grandparents are thinking about their children, exposed to unthinkable violence.

“She’s a fourth-grader and she loves animals,” said grandparent Tony Hernandez, whose granddaughter was in the school at the time of the shooting. “She’s the quiet one but she’s all heart and we love her.”

RELATED: Texas gunman warned online he was going to shoot up school  

Hernandez lives just doors down from Robb Elementary. His wife witnessed what happened as the students inside, their granddaughter included, ran to safety at a neighboring business.

“She ran to the corner and after a while, she found out they were breaking windows so the kids could run towards the funeral home,” Hernandez said. “They got out.”

Gov. Greg Abbott and the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety revealed more details from the investigation on Wednesday, saying the suspected shooter, Salvador Ramos, fired a store-bought semi-automatic AR-15, modeled after a weapon made for war.

RELATED: Uvalde community picking up the pieces after deadly school shooting  

“On March 17, Ramos purchased a semi-automatic rifle from a local sporting goods store,” said DPS Director Steven McCraw. “On March 18, he purchased 375 rounds of ammunition for that rifle. On March 20, he purchased another semi-automatic rifle from that same local store.”

Abbott said Ramos was a high school dropout, living with his grandmother who he also is accused of shooting Tuesday morning. With no known criminal record or mental health issues, Abbott said the only warning was a social media post 30 minutes before the shooting, followed by others.

RELATED: Beto O’Rourke confronts Texas Gov. Greg Abbott at Uvalde press conference: “This is on you”  

“He said, ‘I’m going to shoot my grandmother,’” Abbott said. “The second post was, ‘I shot my grandmother.’ The third post, maybe less than 15 minutes before arriving at the school was, ‘I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”

Parents are wondering how surviving kids will cope. Hernandez is offering his granddaughter all he can.

“A big old hug and a big old kiss,” Hernandez said. “To me, she was numb. We all are. We’re numb. It hit her last night. I just hope she can… I mean, she’ll never get over this. It’s going to be hard.”

The words said since Tuesday were brief but heartfelt.

“I love her and I’m happy to see her,” Hernandez said. 

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'We're numb': Uvalde community grieving after deadly...
'We're numb': Uvalde community grieving after deadly school shooting
The small community in Uvalde is figuring out how to move forward after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary... More >>
1 year ago Thursday, May 26 2022 May 26, 2022 Thursday, May 26, 2022 7:41:00 AM CDT May 26, 2022
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