Texas elementary school mass shooter Salvador Ramos was a "bullied student" with an "aggressive streak" and failed his graduation exams. According to people who knew Ramos, he was a failing student who was a loner and had an argument with his grandmother for failing graduation before he shot her and then went on a carnage at Rodd Elementary School.
That is how former classmates and coworkers have described the "evil" assassin who massacred at least 19 innocent children in the second deadliest school shooting in US history on Tuesday in Uvalde, Texas. Ramos was shot dead by a hero Border Patrol agent during a severe gunfight inside the
Bullied All Through
Ramos had few friends at Uvalde High School and was a "bullied student," his classmates reportedly said, following the horrifying shooting at the Texas Elementary School. According to the Washington Post, his lisp made him a target of big bullies in his schools.
Ramos' classmates claimed that he was subjected to homophobic slurs because of his speech problem, while many claimed that he was teased because of his dress sense.
A classmate, who didn't want to be identified, told CNN that Ramos and he were "close" and used to play Xbox together. Call of Duty, a shooting and combat game, was a favorite of the killer.
The exact motive behind the shooting is still unknown but Ramos seemed to have been angry with himself and the way he was treated by other. That was one reason he was "aggressive", according to one of his former co-workers.
Also, there are reports that Ramos failed his graduation just a day before carrying out the shooting. According to a neighbor, who spoke to local news channel Newsy, Ramos, who worked at a Wendy's, was seen shouting with his grandmother, alleging that he was "angry that he did not graduate."
The neighbor said that he then heard his grandmother's screams. "He shot me, he shot me", before Ramos "zoomed down the street" in his pickup before crashing it outside Robb Elementary School.
He then went inside and started shooting the children and everyone else who was within his sight.
Disturbed Childhood
Another neighbor said that Ramos was a troubled child for years. The incident happened the day after his classmates graduated, according to the Post. According to Reuters, his grandmother survived but was badly hurt.
Ruben Flores, his next-door neighbor, said he had a "pretty rough childhood" with his mother and had tried to be a father figure to the kid. He told the outlet that police had been to his parental home on Hood Street before, and that the unhappy teen had fought with his mother frequently before relocating to his grandmother's house across town a few months ago.
Also, many said that Ramos was often bullied by his schoolmates because he was poor and mocked for wearing eyeliner.
The shooter apparently showed off his weaponry to a LA-based woman on his Instagram profile in the hours leading up to the deaths, hinting that he was "going to do" something.
When the woman asked what, he said: "I'll tell you before 11." He began shooting at noon.
"As soon as he made entry into the school he started shooting children, teachers, whoever was in his way, he was shooting everybody," Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Lt. Chris Olivarez said.
However, Ramos was finally shot dead on the scene by a hero Border Patrol agent who ran into the school with a tactical support team and killed him while he was barricaded inside and was exchanging gunfire with other police officers.
