Salvador Ramos: who was Texas school shooting gunman, how old was Uvalde shooter, did he kill his grandmother?

The 18-year-old gunman who killed at least 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday (24 May) has been identified as Salvador Ramos.

It is believed that Ramos acted alone in the mass shooting before he was shot dead by authorities, according to Governor Greg Abbott.

This is what we know so far.

What do we know about Salvador Ramos?

According to Abbott, Ramos was a student at Uvalde High School and lived in the small city.

Ramos had hinted on social media that an attack could be coming, with state senator Roland Gutierrez telling the media that the “first thing” Ramos did when he turned 18 was buy two military style “assault weapons”.

Gutierrez said that Ramos suggested that “kids should watch out”.

Police believe that Ramos posted photos on Instagram of the guns he used in the shooting - however the account was deleted shortly after Ramos was identified as the shooter.

The Instagram account had featured photos and stories of semi automatic firearms, as well as pictures and selfies of a person who strongly resembled that of the killer shared by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The account had posted an image three days before the attack of two rifles, including what seemed to be a Daniel Defence AR-15 with a high capacity magazine.

What have people who knew him said about him?

A former classmate of Ramos’ told CNN that he had texted him photos of a firearm and bag full of ammo days before the attack.

He said: “[Ramos] would message me here and there, and four days ago he sent me a picture of the AR he was using… and a backpack full of 5.56 rounds, probably like seven mags.

“I was like, “Bro, why do you have this?” and he was like, “Don’t worry about it”. He proceeded to text me, “I look very different now. You wouldn’t recognise me”.”

Adrian Mendes, a manager at a local Wendy’s, said that Ramos worked the day shift at the fast food restaurant.

He said: “He felt like the quiet type, the one who doesn’t say much. He didn’t really socialise with the other employees.”

The Daily Beast reported that a former Wendy’s colleague said: “[Ramos] would be very rude towards the girl sometimes, and one of the cooks, threatening them by asking, “Do you know who I am?” and he would also send inappropriate texts to the ladies.

“At the park, there’d be videos of him trying to fight people with boxing gloves. He’d take them around with him.”

A former friend of Ramos’, Santos Valdez Jr, told the Washington Post that they had been close up until Ramos’ behaviour had started to “deteriorate”.

He said that Ramos was often bullied due to a speech impediment that included a stutter and a lisp, and that he had once cut his own face with a knife “just for fun”.

What happened on social media the day of the shooting?

At 5:45am on the morning of the shooting, Ramos made hints about the attack that he would carry out in the coming hours.

On social media, he messaged a teenage girl on Instagram telling her that he wanted to share a “lil secret”. According to screenshots shared by the recipient, Ramos said he would tell her in an hour, but she had to respond.

The last thing he wrote was: “Ima air out.”

The girl that Ramos messaged said that she barely knew the 18-year-old, but had been tagged by him before in photos of guns on the social media platform.

Did he abuse animals?

Ramos allegedly abused animals and posted videos of the abuse online, according to users who spoke to ABC News.

According to one, Ramos allegedly boasted about how he and his friends abused animals “all the time”. He would reportedly post videos of the abuse on the social media platform Yubo.

One Yubo user told the news outlet that Ramos would “put cats in plastic bags, suspend them inside, throw them at the ground and throw them at people’s houses”.

A law enforcement source told ABC News that investigators are aware of the Yubo profile that the users are referring to and are looking into it, but did not confirm whether or not it belonged to Ramos.

In a statement, a Yubo spokesperson said, "Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the families of the victims of the tragic shooting in Uvalde, Texas. Due to privacy regulations, we are not able to release specific user information outside of direct requests from law enforcement.”

What else did he post on Yubo?

Speaking to the Washington Post, a number of users have come forward to say that Ramos used the social media platform in an alarming way.

The Post reported that Ramos would message with girls and that “over time they saw a darker side, as he posted images of dead cats, texted them stange messages and joked about sexual assault”.

In a video from a live Yubo chatroom that had been recorded and reviewed by the Post, Ramos was heard saying: “Everyone in this world deserves to get raped.”

One 16-year-old boy told the publication: “I witnessed him harass girls and threaten them with sexual assault, like rape and kidnappig. It was not like a single occurrence. It was frequent.”

What happened in Uvalde?

At approximately 11:30am, Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a predominantly Latino community.

Gutierrez told reporters that Ramos shot his grandmother at her home in the morning. She is believed to be in critical condition in hospital.

He then fled his grandmother’s house in his car before wrecking his vehicle outside the school. Ramos then ran inside and opened fire.

Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told local media: “The suspect made entry into the school and as soon as he made entry into the school he started shooting children, teachers, whoever’s in his way.”

According to authorities, the death toll from the school shooting currently stands at 19 children and two adults. Ramos was believed to have been killed by police officers.