Texas School Shooting Death Toll Rises To 21, President Biden Orders Flag To Fly At Half-mast

Illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Paul Sableman)

JAKARTA - The death toll from a shooting at an elementary school in Texas, United States has risen to 21, prompting criticism from President Joe Biden who ordered the flag to be flown at half-mast.

A teenage gunman killed at least 19 children and two teachers after storming a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, the latest attack of mass gun killings in the United States and the country's worst school shooting in nearly a decade.

The incident began with the 18-year-old suspect, identified as Salvador Ramos, shooting his own grandmother, who survived, authorities said.

He fled the scene and crashed his car near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a town about 80 miles (130 km) west of San Antonio. There he launches a bloody rampage that ends when he is killed, apparently shot by the police.

The motive was not immediately clear. Law enforcement officers saw the gunman, wearing body armor, emerge from the crashed vehicle carrying a rifle and "engage" the suspect, who managed to enter the building and opened fire, Texas Department of Public Security (DPS) Sergeant Erick Estrada told CNN, as reported by Reuters May 25.

"He shot and killed horribly, inexplicably, 14 students and killed a teacher. Ramos, the shooter, himself is dead and it is believed that the officers who responded killed him," Governor Greg Abbott told a news conference.

The horrors of the day were reflected on the Robb Elementary School Facebook page.

A few days ago, his post showed the usual student activities - a trip to the zoo for sophomores and saving the date for the gifted and gifted showcase. But on Tuesday, a note was uploaded at 11:43 am. "Please note that Robb Elementary is currently on Lockdown due to gunfire in the area. Students and staff are safe inside the building," it read.

The second post was more explicit: "There is an active shooter at Robb Elementary. Law enforcement is on location." Administrator asks parents to stay away. And finally, a note was posted letting parents know they could meet their kids in the small town center.

Meanwhile, Uvalde Memorial Hospital said 15 students from Robb Elementary were being treated in its emergency room, with two being transferred to San Antonio for further treatment, while the transfer of a third patient was pending. It was not immediately clear whether all of the students survived.

A 45-year-old victim who was shot by a bullet was also hospitalized at the Uvalde Memorial, the hospital said.

Hours after the shooting, police closed the school with yellow tape. Police cars and emergency vehicles were scattered around the school grounds. Uniformed personnel stood in small groups, some in camouflage carrying semi-automatic weapons.

Separated, speaking from the White House hours later, visibly shaken US President Joe Biden urged Americans to stand up to the politically powerful US gun lobby, which he accused of blocking the passage of tougher gun safety laws.

President Biden ordered the flag to be flown at half-mast every day until sunset on Saturday to commemorate the tragedy.

"As a nation, we must ask, 'When in God's name will we stand in the gun lobby?'" Biden said on national television, suggesting reinstating the US ban on guns.

It is known that mass shootings in America have often led to public outcry and calls for stricter background checks on gun sales and other firearm controls that are common in other countries. However, such measures have repeatedly failed in the face of the strong Republican-led opposition.