ATLANTA — At least 15 people are dead, including 14 children, after a mass shooting at a Texas elementary school Tuesday afternoon, local officials said.
Authorities said the suspect went to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Tuesday afternoon. In an update, police said the 18-year-old suspect, identified as Salvador Ramos, is dead.
Police said they are working to notify the victims and their families. As loved ones grieve this unexpected loss, the nation grieves with them. President Biden has ordered flags to fly at half-staff through the end of the week.
As Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp campaigns in his final hours for his spot as the GOP nominee for the state's gubernatorial race, he paused Election Day messaging to offer his condolences in the wake of the shooting.
"For children and innocent adults, including a school teacher, to be taken from this world in such a depraved, violent way, it is incomprehensible," he said in a statement. "We are lifting up the families of these victims, the first responders on the scene, and the entire community in prayer."
Jason Downey, the chair of Georgia's Board of Education also weighed in expressing his heartbreak while calling on elected officials to act.
"It's past time for the GOP to REALLY rethink gun policies in America," he said in a statement. "I said what I said. Call me a RINO- I don't care."
Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan also called the shooting a tragedy that's "beyond heartbreaking," calling on everyone to stop and pray for the victims and their families.
Rep. Lucy McBath offered passionate words, pointing out that the tragedy in Uvalde comes on the heels of another mass shooting in Buffalo.
"At a time when this nation is still reeling from the pain of recent shootings, we are faced with another sickening, preventable tragedy in Texas," McBath said in a statement. "We cannot be the only nation where we pay for the weapons of war in our streets with the blood of our children sitting in schools."
Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock said the shooting is impacting him as a father and community member.
"As a father of two young children, this tragedy is horrific and numbing," he said. "I'm praying God surrounds the victims, their families and community with abundant love and healing."
Georgia's State School Superintendent Richard Woods offered prayers to those afflicted by the tragedy.
"This terrible tragedy underscores the importance of focusing, as our absolute top priority on the safety and security of our school campus and the 1.7 million K-12 students who attend them," the state's top education official said in a statement. "We will continue to work closely with the Governor’s Office, the General Assembly, and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency to ensure schools have the resources they need to focus on prevention and ensure a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, staff, and all who step onto a public-school campus."
Stacey Abrams, the presumptive Democratic candidate for Georgia governor also released a heartfelt statement on Primary Election Day.
"To the families of Uvalde, we weep with you in your grief and ask for God's solace for your unfathomable pain," she said.
Herschel Walker, who is running for Georgia's U.S. Senate seat also interrupted his campaign and offered condolences Tuesday night.
"Julie and I are heartbroken over the tragedy in Uvalde, Texas," he said. "We are lifting up the victims and their families in prayer."
Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux called the shooting a "grievous blow," adding that the whole matter hurt her as a mother and frustrates her as a lawmaker.
"I have a son who is in elementary school," she said. "It just brings us to our knees when we see this."
She furthered her point, saying she suspects many people are frustrated -- including herself -- on how in her lifetime another shooting like this could happen again.
"This happened ten years ago in Connecticut," she said, referring to the Sandy Hook school shooting. "And we still have not addressed gun safety reform."
She said it is time for lawmakers to act on gun control, for the American people.