- Shots were fired at an elementary school in the state of Texas.
- A perpetrator killed 15 people, the governor of Texas announced.
- Among them are 14 children and a teacher.
The incident happened in a town near San Antonio. The shooter was also dead. According to initial findings, it was an 18-year-old. He was killed by officials.
In a first statement, Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke of a terrible and incomprehensible act that occurred in the small town of Uvalde in southern Texas.
Details of the exact background were not initially available. The investigators are assuming a single perpetrator. According to Abbott, two police officers were slightly injured in the exchange of fire.
CNN reported that the shooter drove to the school and then entered it with a rifle and pistol. The University Medical Center in San Antonio tweeted that two casualties from the shooting had been admitted, a 66-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl. Both are in critical condition.
President Joe Biden will comment on the incident after landing his return flight from a trip to Asian countries, government spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre announced. “He extends his prayers to the families affected by this terrible incident.” The president is kept informed about the shooting.
Shocking regularity
Shooting sprees, including in schools, are common in the United States. A massacre at an elementary school ten years ago caused particular shock. In December 2012, a 20-year-old man with severe mental health problems shot his mother in Newtown, Connecticut. He then went to his elementary school, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and killed 20 school children and six teachers there. He then killed himself.
At the time, the act caused a shock nationwide and also caused horror beyond the borders of the USA. Just over a week ago, a gunman with an assault rifle opened fire in a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, killing ten people and injuring three others. He was arrested at the scene of the crime. According to investigators, the act was racially motivated – 11 of the 13 victims were black.
Legend:
Just over two weeks ago, a gunman killed 10 people in Buffalo.
key stone
Last year, the FBI counted 61 gun shootings in the United States. The FBI announced on Monday in Washington that this was more than 50 percent more than in the previous year. The number has doubled since 2017. In 2021, 103 people were killed and 140 injured in rampages. According to the information, 60 of the 61 shooters were men.