The gunman allegedly texted a German girl about his plans just before shooting his grandmother in her home and driving to school in her pickup.
Salvador Ramos complained about his grandmother being “on the phone with AT&T about (sic) my phone,” according to screenshots reviewed by CNN and an interview with the 15-year-old girl, who said she had been in contact with the gunman for weeks.
“It’s annoying,” he texted.
He texted six minutes later, “I just shot my grandma in the head.” “Ima go shoot up a(n) elementary school rn (right now),” he said seconds later.
The last message was sent at 6:21 p.m. CET, which was 11:21 a.m. in Texas.
The girl, who lives in Frankfurt, claims she met Ramos on a social media app on May 9. According to the videos and text messages, Ramos sent the girl selfie videos and discussed plans to visit her in Europe.
The girl, whose mother gave her permission to be interviewed, said she talked to Ramos on FaceTime every day. She also stated that she communicated with him on Yubo, a social livestreaming app, and that she played games with him on Plato, a gaming app. She claimed that during their conversations, he inquired about her life in Germany. “He seemed happy and at ease talking to me,” the girl observed.
The texts to the girl are similar to messages Ramos allegedly wrote on Facebook, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Abbott stated that the suspect shot his grandmother, drove to nearby Robb Elementary School, forced his way inside adjoining classrooms, and opened fire on a group of students and faculty. Officers eventually forced their way into the barricaded room, and a Border Patrol officer shot and killed him, according to Abbott.
According to a spokesperson for Meta, Facebook’s parent company, the gunman’s messages were sent in private one-on-one text messages that were discovered after the shooting.
Uvalde, about 90 miles west of San Antonio and just east of the US-Mexico border, has now joined the long list of American communities devastated by mass shootings.
So far, relatives have publicly identified seven 10-year-olds and two fourth-grade teachers as among the dead.
Parents waited until late Tuesday night at a civic center to learn whether their children had survived, with some providing DNA to assist authorities in identifying victims, according to CNN. According to Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez, authorities have identified all of the victims, whose remains have been removed from the murder scene, and notified their families.
President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he plans to visit Uvalde soon.
“As a nation, I believe we must all be there for them,” Biden said. “And we must ask, in God’s name, when will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, at least significantly reduce the amount of carnage that occurs in this country?”
