Summary: Shooting in Uvalde, Texas, massacre chronology and testimonies 28:22
(CNN Spanish) --
The gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday was on the school grounds until an hour before police forced their way into a classroom and will kill him, authorities said Wednesday.
"It would be about 40 minutes or something like that, an hour," Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw told CNN's Ed Lavandera at a news conference.
The 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, was in a standoff with law enforcement officers for about a half hour after shooting students and teachers, said Rep. Tony Gonzales, whose district includes Uvalde, told CNN's Jake Tapper, citing a briefing they gave him.
How to Offer Support When a Mass Shooting Happens
Days earlier, Ramos legally purchased two AR-type rifles from a local federal firearms licensee on May 17 and May 20, according to Texas State Sen. John Whitmire, who received a police report Tuesday night. .
He also bought 375 rounds of ammunition on May 18, Whitmire said, citing police.
11:21 am - He shoots his grandmother and sends text messages
The attacker allegedly texted a girl living in Germany about his intentions just before he shot her grandmother at home and left for school in his van.
According to screenshots reviewed by CNN and an interview with the 15-year-old girl, who said she had been in contact with the attacker for weeks, Salvador Ramos complained that her grandmother was "on the phone with AT&T about (sic) my telephone".
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See the messages the Texas shooter sent before the massacre 1:39
Six minutes later, he texted: "I just shot my grandma in the head."
Seconds after that, she said, "I'm going to shoot an elementary school."
The last message was sent at 6:21 pm Central European Time, which was 11:21 am in Texas.
The girl, who lives in Frankfurt, said she started chatting with Ramos on a social media app on May 9.
Ramos sent the girl videos of him and discussed a plan to visit her in Europe, according to videos and text messages.
The gunman shot his grandmother in the face before driving to Robb Elementary, a second-to-fourth-grade school, to carry out the attack, Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Authorities said the grandmother, who called 911, remains in a hospital, as do five victims from the school, but she was listed in critical condition on Wednesday.
Suspect in Uvalde attack sent chilling messages to teen he met online
11:28 am - Attacker crashes his car
Shortly after the initial shooting, police received a 911 call about a vehicle that had crashed near the school and someone armed with a rifle was heading inside, Lt. Chris Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told The Associated Press. CNN in an interview Wednesday morning.
The man was wearing a "tactical vest carrier without ballistic panels," Olivarez said.
The suspect crashed his vehicle into a ditch near the elementary school and got out with a rifle and backpack while wearing a tactical vest containing extra ammunition, said Eric Estrada, a sergeant with the Texas Department of Public Safety. English).
How did the massacre at the Uvalde school happen?
3:08
As Ramos headed to the school, he and law enforcement officers exchanged gunfire, authorities said.
Two police officers received non-life-threatening injuries and are out of the hospital, according to Olivarez.
11:40 am - The attacker enters the school
Sergeant Erick Estrada with the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN that when the shooter arrived at the school, he encountered a school resource officer, dropped a black bag with ammunition inside, and entered the school.
The attacker barricaded himself inside adjoining classrooms and opened fire on the children and two teachers, Olivarez said, calling the act "complete evil."
The moment the attacker enters the Texas school 0:55
11:44 am - Law enforcement officers enter the school
Because the attacker dug in, officers were at a disadvantage, he said.
"There weren't enough men at the time, and their main goal was to prevent any loss of life," he told CNN.
"They started breaking windows around the school and trying to rescue, evacuate children and teachers while that was going on."
A tactical team of local and federal agents arrived, forced their way into the classroom and shot the attacker to death, Olivarez said.
12:30 pm - Agents call for backup and evacuate the children
US Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz told CNN that agents arrived at the scene after officers approached the suspect at the school.
Several members of the Border Patrol tactical team, a search and rescue responder and a few other agents joined local police officers to form a team that chased after the attacker.
“They did not hesitate.
They came up with a plan.
They walked into that classroom and took care of the situation as fast as they could,” Ortiz said.
Video shows parents frustrated with police at scene of Texas shooting 4:02
1:06 pm - Police say the attack is over
“Then (the shooting) stops, and he digs in.
That's where there's kind of a lull in the action,” Rep. Gonzales said.
"The whole thing, I understand, lasted about an hour, but this is where there's kind of a 30-minute break. It feels like he's been barricaded. The rest of the students in the school at the time were leaving."
A specialized tactical team forced their way into the classroom and killed the suspect, Olivarez said.
An agent was shot.
Investigators found one of the suspect's rifles, made by Daniel Defense, in the school with the shooter, Whitmire said, citing ATF.
The other rifle was left in the car that crashed.
That ended the deadliest school shooting in the United States since 2012, when 26 children and adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School.
It was at least the 30th school shooting in 2022, according to a CNN tally.
The attacker was a local high school dropout with no criminal record and no known mental health history, authorities said.
He had just turned 18 and legally purchased two AR-15-style rifles and ammunition for his birthday.
His grandfather said Wednesday that he didn't know Ramos had guns.
With reporting from CNN's Isabelle Chapman, Daniel A. Medina, Nicole Chavez, Dakin Andone and Elizabeth Wolfe
