Month: May 2022

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott revealed in a Wednesday news conference that the 18-year-old gunman who shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at a South Texas elementary school shared his plans on Facebook. The gunman, Salvador Ramos, posted a series of Facebook messages about 30 minutes before the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Ramos was killed by police after barricading himself inside one of the school’s classrooms.

According to Abbott, the first post read: “I’m going to shoot my grandmother.”  He followed the post up with, “I shot my grandmother,” and, “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.” Abbott said that Ramos gave “no meaningful forewarning” of the violence he intended to unleash except for the Facebook messages.  Andy Stone, a spokesman for Meta — the parent company of Facebook –  said in a tweet that the warnings were sent in private one-to-one text messages that were found after the shooting. Facebook is cooperating with law enforcement.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said after shooting his grandmother, Ramos used her vehicle to drive to the school. The 66-year-old woman “reported him to the police department, when she was able to run across the street to a neighbor and get help. She was medevaced to San Antonio in critical condition at this point, but she’s still alive.” McCraw said Ramos didn’t have a criminal history before the shooting, and purchased the semiautomatic rifle at a local sporting goods store March 17, shortly after his 18th birthday. He purchased 375 rounds of ammunition for the rifle the next day, and on March 20 bought another semiautomatic rifle at the same store.

During the news conference, Abbott blamed the shooting on mental health issues, though he earlier said Ramos had no known mental health issues. However as Abbott was concluding his remarks at the news conference, his Democratic challenger for the governor’s race, former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, interrupted to accuse the assembled leaders and law enforcement of not doing enough to stop gun violence.

Officials said grief counselors would be made available to all members of the small community, which is located about 80 miles west of San Antonio and 130 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District announced that classes have been canceled for the rest of the school year and graduations have been placed on hold until a future date. The school district wrote on Facebook:  “Our community has experienced a terrible tragedy. We must come together to console one another and respect the privacy of the families. Please keep all families in your prayers. This is a difficult time for everyone, however the gentle support all school community members give to each other during this time is the first step in healing.”

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Former reality TV star Josh Duggar, who appeared in TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting,” was sentenced Wednesday to more than 12 years in federal prison for downloading and possessing child pornography. Duggar was sentenced to 151 months in prison and fined $10,000, according to legal documents. Josh’s father, Jim Bob, his wife Anna, and siblings Joy-Anna (Duggar) Forsyth and Jason Duggar were present in court to support him.

In December, a Fayetteville, Arkansas, jury found the 34-year-old Duggar guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. Duggar faced up to 20 years in prison and fines of up to $250,000 for each count. Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks to give the maximum term of 20 years to Duggar, arguing in a pre-sentencing court filing that Duggar has a “deep-seated, pervasive and violent sexual interest in children.”

Duggar, whose lawyers sought a five-year sentence, maintains his innocence and has said he will appeal. Duggar’s lawyer Justin K. Gelfand said: “We’re grateful the judge dismissed Count 2 and rejected the Government’s request for a 240-month sentence. We look forward to continuing the fight on appeal.”

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Authorities say the death toll from a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school shooting now stands at 19 children and two teacher, after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Uvalde is located about 85 miles west of San Antonio and about 50 miles east of the Mexican border. At least six victims had been publicly identified by family members:  third grade student Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10; and fourth graders Uziyah Garcia; Xavier Lopez, 10; and Amerie Jo Garza, 9; were among the 19 students killed, relatives confirmed to news outlets. Family members also identified the two teachers as Eva Mireles, a 17-year educator who taught fourth grade, and Irma Garcia, who taught at the school for 23 years.

Speaking at a news conference shortly after the mass shooting, Texas Governor Greg Abbott identified the shooter as Salvador Ramos, a resident of Uvalde. He said the 18-year-old was killed by law enforcement officers, two of whom also sustained minor injuries. Abbott said Ramos entered the school with a handgun and possibly a rifle. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the suspect shot his grandmother before he drove toward the school;  after he apparently crashed nearby, he went to the campus and opened fire.

The assault at Robb Elementary School was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, almost a decade ago. Hal Harrell, the school district superintendent, announcing that all school activities were canceled until further notice, saying: “My heart is broken today. We’re a small community, and we’re going to need your prayers to get through this.”

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A suspect in the unprovoked fatal shooting of a man on a Q train in New York City is in custody. Law enforcement sources identified the suspect as Andrew Abdullah, a 25-year-old man from Brooklyn with about 20 prior arrests, including an outstanding gun charge from last year. He also has prior arrests for assault, robbery, menacing and grand larceny, sources said.

Abdullah has three cases that are still pending, including an April arrest for fourth-degree criminal possession of stolen property for allegedly being found with a stolen motorcycle, as well as a June 2021 arrest for violating a protective order and March 2021 arrest for assault.

Abdullah arranged a surrender through his pastor to officers at the 5th precinct. The New York Police Department had released surveillance photos Monday of the suspect believed to have shot 48-year-old Daniel Enriquez, taken shortly after he exited the subway.  Detectives have also recovered the gun used in the shooting, which the suspect allegedly handed to a homeless man as he fled the Canal Street station. Sources say the homeless man then apparently sold the gun for $10 to a third person, who reported it to police.

Witnesses say the suspect was pacing back and forth in the last car of a Manhattan-bound train around 11:45 a.m. when he pulled out a gun and fired it at Enriquez unprovoked. A motive for the shooting is still unknown.

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