What we’re learning about the Texas elementary school massacre

William Brangham:

The nation's recurring nightmare has happened again. Texas state officials say a gunman killed 18 children and at least two adults, including one teacher at an elementary school today. It appears the 18 year old shooter, Salvador Ramos, was killed by police. Gunfire broke out early this afternoon in the city of Uvalde. It's about 85 miles west of San Antonio. Heavily armed police swarmed the school with ambulances close behind. School staffers and others waited and watched. Having just returned from a trip to Asia, President Biden spoke tonight at the White House trying to console families and calling for greater action.

President Joe Biden:

As a nation, we have to ask, "When in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby, when in God's name we do what we all know in our gut needs to be done?" I am sick and tired of it. We have to act. And don't tell me we can't have an impact on this carnage.

William Brangham:

And earlier today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott spoke in Abilene.

Gov. Greg Abbot, R-Texas:

When parents drop their kids off at school, they have every expectation to to know that they're going to be able to pick their child up when that school day ends. And there are families who are in mourning right now and the state of Texas is in mourning with them.

William Brangham:

As we learn more about this horrific event, I'm joined now by Taylor Pettaway. She's a reporter at the San Antonio Express-News, and she is following all of this very closely from San Antonio, which is about 85 miles east of Uvalde. Taylor, thank you so much for being here on this just horrendous day for your community, for Texas and for this entire country. I wonder if you could just tell us what is the latest that you have heard from law enforcement about this tragedy today?

Taylor Pettaway, San Antonio Express-News:

So right now, the latest that we're hearing is, unfortunately, the death toll has continued to climb ever since the first initial reports that we've gotten so far. Like you said, we have 18 children dead, two, possibly three adults who have also perished in this. And, you know, just a community, a state and a country right now that's just in utter disbelief and heartbreak.

William Brangham:

I can't imagine what the parents and the families in that community are going through today. We are talking about a massacre at an elementary school. So these are ostensibly children who are eight, nine, perhaps ten years old. Is that correct? Have officials said anything more about the children themselves?

Taylor Pettaway:

That is correct. So Robb Elementary School is second, third and fourth graders. So very young children. We know that some of the victims are as young as ten years old. And it's just absolutely incredible in the world today to witness something like this and just watch as these parents and students and teachers have to deal with something like this.

William Brangham:

We understand that the shooter himself was not a stranger to this community. He was from the local area. Have we learned anything else about why, if there is any real reason why, he visited this horror on this particular school today?

Taylor Pettaway:

Unfortunately, we don't. Police haven't released any sort of motive if they even have one. Unfortunately, in situations like this, especially with the shooter who is now deceased, you know, there's a great possibility that this is a question that we never get answered. You know, we hope that one day that we'll know why this heinous act was committed. But, you know, we might not ever know.

William Brangham:

Can you tell us a little bit more for people who are not familiar with Uvalde? What kind of a community is this? Who are these families that are going through this unspeakable moment?

Taylor Pettaway:

Yeah. So you Uvalde it's a small town in Texas, you know, about 16,000 people. Robb Elementary alone only has about 600 students. So it's a small, very close-knit area. You know, a lot of families, just a lot of roots held there. And so, you know, when something like this happens, it just absolutely cuts to the core of the community.

William Brangham:

I've been seeing reports that we heard from your governor earlier. We certainly heard what President Biden had to say about the need for greater action to try to address this. Your lieutenant governor and your attorney general both spoke earlier this evening and said in their minds, the solution to this is hardening schools, limiting exits and entrances and arming more teachers. Is that kind of a response going to be accepted at the moment of such a terrible tragedy? Are those kinds of responses from your reporting going to be tolerated by people?

Taylor Pettaway:

You know, it's really hard to to say. I mean, I think as we've seen on multiple occasions with mass school shootings and just mass shootings in general in our country, often that's, you know, the very quick response right after a shooting. And, I mean, here we still are. You know, I think a lot of schools and things have already started to do those measures where they've limited entrances and exits, where they've made people coming in get visitors badges, were there, you know, are metal detectors, things like that. Some counties in Texas are now arming their teachers. I mean, it gets to a point where how many more measures do you can you take? I mean, what else is there left for us to do to try to protect, you know, the citizens of our state and our of our country?

William Brangham:

That is certainly a question we're going to keep asking for a long time. Taylor Pettaway from the San Antonio Express-News, thank you so much for joining us.

Taylor Pettaway:

Of course, thank you.