Disturbing new details are emerging about where the gunman in the South Texas school shooting obtained the weapons used to slaughter 19 children and two teachers.
Texas authorities reported that the shooter, Salvador Ramos, legally purchased at least one of the rifles used in Tuesday's (May 24) school massacre just one day after turning 18 and spent several days just last week amassing a small armory before carrying out the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Texas State Sens. John Whitmire and Roland Gutierrez, who were both briefed by law enforcement officials, told local news outlets that Ramos purchased one rifle from a federally licensed gun store on May 17 –– one day after turning 18 years old. The very next day, on May 18, Ramos purchased 375 rounds of ammo, The Houston Chronicle reported. On Friday (May 20), Ramos reportedly purchased another rifle.
Law enforcement officials have uncovered ominous social media messages Ramos posted that said "the kids should watch out" and that hinted at his "assault weapons" purchase, The Associated Press reported.
Ramos also reportedly messaged a classmate, who spoke with news outlets under anonymity, with photos of his guns and ammunition.
"He 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," the classmate told CNN.
"I was like, 'Bro, why do you have this?' And he was like, 'Don't worry about it.'"
The Instagram and TikTok accounts allegedly used by Ramos, as confirmed by his classmates, were deleted after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott identified Ramos as the shooter.
The shooting comes just days after 10 Black people were gunned down by a self-proclaimed white supremacist inside of a grocery store in Buffalo, New York.
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