Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the 18-year-old gunman wrote on Facebook minutes before the crime that he was going to shoot at an elementary school. Before that, he announced on the platform that he would shoot his grandmother – she survived with serious injuries. According to a CNN report, the perpetrator is also said to have had contact with a 15-year-old woman in Germany.
Contact with 15-year-old since early May
The US news channel published chat logs according to which the perpetrator told the 15-year-old that he had shot his grandmother in the head and was now going to attack an elementary school. The 18-year-old had been in contact with the girl since the beginning of May and also sent her videos of himself. CNN quoted the girl as saying, “He looked happy and comfortable talking to me.” The German Ministry of the Interior said on request: “There is currently no reliable information on the connection between the Texas attacker and a girl in Germany.”
Motive still unclear
The gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in the small town of Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday before he was shot dead by police. The 18-year-old had legally bought two assault rifles. A motive was not known on Thursday either.
Police spokesman Chris Olivarez told CNN the investigation was ongoing. One hopes to soon be able to question the grandmother as a witness. The timing of the act and in particular the question of how long the perpetrator stayed in the fourth grade classroom in which he carried out the massacre has not been finally clarified.
Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said on Wednesday there was between 40 and 60 minutes between the first shot at a police officer and the death of the perpetrator. The Washington Post quoted Javier Cazeres, whose daughter was killed. He said he suggested breaking into the school himself because the police were too hesitant. “More could have been done.”
At a vigil in Uvalde on Wednesday evening, residents mourned the victims. “You can cry because our hearts are broken. We are devastated,” said Pastor Tony Gruben of the Baptist Temple Church. As the newspaper “Texas Tribune” reported, around 1,000 people gathered in a multi-purpose stadium in the small town to commemorate the victims with prayers and songs. Pastors from various local churches addressed the assembled crowd in English and Spanish.
Biden spoke out strongly for stricter gun laws
The school shooting has fueled the debate about tougher gun laws in the United States. US President Joe Biden again spoke out emphatically in favor of it after the killing spree. However, such initiatives by his Democrats regularly fail due to opposition from Trump’s Republicans and the powerful gun lobby organization NRA.
Former US President Donald Trump will be speaking at the NRA’s annual meeting in Houston, Texas this Friday. Republicans are vehemently opposed to tightening gun laws.
Trump to address tomorrow’s NRA annual meeting
“America right now needs real solutions and real leadership, not politicians and partisanship,” Trump wrote in advance on the social media platform Truth Social, which he co-founded. Therefore, he will keep his promise to speak at the NRA meeting in Houston. Trump announced “an important speech” to the Americans. “In the meantime, we all continue to pray for the victims, their families and for our entire nation.”
The NRA said the two-hour event with Trump was open only to its members. By order of the security forces, no firearms or knives are allowed when the ex-president appears. The NRA pointed out that there was no facility for storing firearms. In addition to Trump, several other speakers are on the program, including NRA leaders and Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Trump’s participation had been announced before the school massacre.
The right to own guns in the United States is enshrined in the Constitution. The corresponding passage dates from the 18th century. Biden emphasized that certain weapons did not exist when the Second Amendment was passed. It is not true that an 18-year-old can simply go into a shop to buy weapons of war. “It’s against common sense.” The US President announced that he wanted to travel to Texas with his wife Jill “in the next few days” and meet with families there.
Source: Nachrichten
