According to a media report, the attacker, who shot 19 children at an elementary school in the US state of Texas, sent several messages to a young person in Germany shortly before the attack. The US news channel CNN reported on Wednesday that the 18-year-old wrote to the 15-year-old from Frankfurt on Tuesday that he would open fire in an elementary school.
He previously complained to the teenager that his grandmother was talking to a US phone company on his phone. “It’s annoying.” Six minutes later, according to CNN, he wrote: “I just shot my grandmother in the head.” According to the report, he sent the message about the impending attack on an elementary school a few seconds later at 11:21 a.m. local time (6:21 p.m CEST) – as the last message to the young people.
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CNN relies on screenshots of the news and an interview with the 15-year-old for the report. She therefore said that two and a half weeks ago she started exchanging ideas with the shooter via an app. The 18-year-old sent her videos of himself and also announced that she wanted to visit her in Europe. According to her own statements, the young person spoke to the attacker daily via the Facetime chat service and was also in contact with him on two other apps.
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18-year-old Salvador Ramos shot 21 people, 19 schoolchildren and two teachers, with an assault rifle at the Robb Elementary School in the small Texas town of Uvalde on Tuesday. He had previously shot his grandmother in the face, seriously injuring her. The attacker was shot dead by the police.
Deed announced on Facebook
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday the gunman announced his plans on Facebook shortly before the crime. He initially wrote that he would shoot his grandmother, Abbott said at a press conference on Wednesday.
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His second post was that he shot his grandmother. About a quarter of an hour before arriving at the school, the 18-year-old wrote that he was going to shoot at an unnamed elementary school, the governor said.
According to Abbott, the shooter had no criminal record. However, it is not certain whether the gunman had any entries as a young person. That still has to be determined. Mental illnesses are not known, according to Abbott.
Abbott expressed special thanks to the police and the emergency services on site. “The reality is, as horrific as what happened, it could have been worse.”
“They showed incredible courage by running into the gunfire just to save lives,” he said of the emergency services. “It is a fact that their quick response on the ground has enabled them to respond to and eliminate the gunman. They were able to save lives.” Unfortunately, there weren’t enough lives. (AFP, dpa)
