The investigation into the Texas shooting that killed 19 children and 2 adults on Tuesday, May 24, advances and the police, is under fire from criticism.
The killer indicates that after shooting his grandmother in their house in Uvalde, the 18-year-old assailant headed for the primary school where he was able to enter without being immediately intercepted.
“It was reported that a school district police officer confronted the suspect as he entered. Which is not accurate, he entered undisturbed initially. So from his grandmother’s house at the ditch near the school where he left his vehicle, until his introduction into the school, he was not confronted by anyone,” said Victor Escalon, the regional director of the Texas Department of State Security during a press conference on May 26.
Joe Biden has said he will go to the scene of the tragedy this Sunday.
The US leader strongly criticized the gun lobby, he has called on Congress to limit access to guns.
“90% of gun owners support universal background checks. 84% of Republicans and 80% of NRA members support background checks. As the President said this week, it’s time to turn this pain into action, it’s time for Congress to act,” said White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre away from a press briefing in Washington on May 26.
This is not the first time that Democrats have proposed similar bills, which Republicans have opposed. The latter believe that access to weapons is not to blame for this type of crime and highlight the second amendment to the Constitution which allows the carrying of weapons.
Ironically, the National Rifle Association (NRA), a powerful pro-gun lobby, is hosting its annual conference this week (May 27-29) in Houston, Texas. Former US President Donald Trump as well as other figures from the conservative Republican Party such as Senator Ted Cruz are taking part.
The NRA which reacted after the attack saying it would “reflect on these events and pray for the victims”.
Uvalde’s attack, the deadliest in an American school since 2012, is generating reactions among the American population, who have already gathered in several cities across the country to express their anger at the authorities’ inability to avoid these massacres.