The teenager suspected of killing 19 children and two teachers inside a southwest Texas school legally purchased two rifles shortly after his 18th birthday and used one of them in Tuesday’s shooting.
Salvador Ramos, 18, legally purchased AR platform rifles on May 17, 2022 and May 20, 2022, according to a briefing from Texas Sen. John Whitmire on Wednesday. One of the guns was found in Ramos’s car outside the school and the other one was found with his body inside the school. Ramos reportedly turned 18 on May 16, according to ABC.
Ramos also purchased 375 rounds of 5.56 ammunition, Whitmire and Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez told the Austin American-Statesman.
One of the rifles, according to KPRC 2, is a Daniel Defense rifle that retails for just under $2,000.
Reports had initially indicated that Ramos also had a handgun at the time of the crime but it is unclear exactly how many guns were at the scene.
Reports circulating online appear to show Ramos posting photos online of his receipt purchasing a gun online from Daniel Defense that would then have been shipped to a registered dealer in Texas. Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed the authenticity of those posts.
Daniel Defense did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Ramos allegedly entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday morning after fleeing his grandmother’s house after shooting her. Inside the school, Ramos reportedly shot and killed 21 people before being shot and killed himself by a specialized Border Patrol agent who had responded to the scene.
The 66-year-old grandmother remains in serious condition, according to the officials.
Two officers were shot and wounded on scene but were expected to survive.
Ramos allegedly posted disturbing images online before the shooting, and apparently messaged a woman about his plans before he carried out the deadly attack.
An Instagram account allegedly connected to Ramos featured disturbing photos, including one showing a high-capacity magazine. The Instagram account has since been taken down.
The same account allegedly sent alarming messages to a woman before the deadly attack. The first message, sent on May 12, asked, “You gonna repost my gun pics?” The woman was tagged in photos showing guns.
Tuesday’s shooting marked the deadliest shooting at an elementary school since Sandy Hook in 2012, where then 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people at the Newtown, Connecticut school. 20 of the victims were children aged 6 and 7.
