Police tried and failed to stop the accused Texas gunman before he made his way to an elementary school Tuesday where he shot and killed 21 people.
Law enforcement officials “engaged” with 18-year-old Salvador Ramos after he crashed his car outside Robb Elementary School Tuesday morning, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada told CNN late Tuesday.
[ Texas gunman shot anyone ‘in his way’ in elementary school massacre: police ]
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“He was able to make entry into the school where he did go into several classrooms and unfortunately, he did fire his firearm inside the school premises,” Estrada said.
Ramos, an Uvalde resident, fatally shot 19 children and two teachers before he was shot and killed by responding police officers.
Pressed by CNN host Anderson Cooper, Estrada said Ramos was in an “epic crash” outside the school and was spotted getting out of his car “with a long rifle and a backpack,” possibly wearing body armor. That’s when school officers “engaged” him before he walked through the door and opened fire.
A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News Wednesday about what the “engagement” entailed.