National

Texas shooting: Accused Salvador Ramos had argument with grandmom whom he later shot

Salvador Ramos, the accused of the horrific Texas elementary school shooting which killed 21, including 19 children, had a minor argument with his grandmother over the payment of a phone bill, Ramdos’s grandfather Rolando Reyes said, expressing shock at how his grandson is at the centre of one of the most tragic mass shootings in the United States.

In an interview to ABC News,  he said he came to know from the neighbours that Salvador Ramdos shot at his grandmother at their home in Uvalde before driving his grandparents’ car to Robb Elementary School where he opened fire. Ramos was killed by the police, while his grandmother is in the hospital — in critical condition.

Rolando Reyes said he had no idea that his grandson had bought rifles. Had he known about those, he would have reported the weapons to the authorities. Ramos has been staying with his grandparents for the past few months after a fight with his mother.

The morning the tragedy befell, there was no sign; only Ramdos had a minor argument with his grandmother — not a major one, Reyes insisted.Social media platforms Twitter, Reddit are rife with unfounded claims about Ramos that he was an immigrant living in the US illegally and a transgender. While all this is not true, Salvador Ramos had warned about his plans on social media in the minutes before the attack. He posted on Facebook that he was going to shoot his grandmother and then announcing that it has already been done, he posted that he was going to shoot an elementary school.Reports said Salvador Ramos had a troubled childhood with a history of being bullied at school and difficulties at home. He also had a history of self-harm. Ramos’s cousin Mia told The Washington Post that he was mocked for a speech impediment in middle school, and would tell his grandmother that he wanted to stop attending class.