The gunman in a mass shooting that left 19 children and 2 teachers dead at a Texas school reportedly bought two assault rifles and ammunition legally in the days after his 18th birthday.
Texas state Sens. John Whitmire (D) and Roland Gutierrez (D), who had been briefed by authorities, said that the shooter, Salvador Ramos, had legally purchased one of the rifles from a federally licensed gun store on May 17, according to multiple news reports. That was one day after he turned 18.
The following day, on May 18, he reportedly purchased 375 rounds of ammunition, according to the Houston Chronicle. Then, on May 20, he reportedly bought his second rifle.
Ramos also posted ominous messages on social media, suggesting that “the kids should watch out” and hinted that he had bought two “assault weapons,” Gutierrez said, according to The Associated Press.
Ramos had made multiple online statements, including posting pictures of the two AR-15-style rifles on the Instagram account “salv8dor_,” which classmates confirmed to CNN belonged to Ramos. The Instagram account with the posts was deleted shortly after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) identified Ramos as the shooter.
Ramos also reportedly messaged a former classmate, who remained anonymous, pictures of the 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,’ ” he added.
Ramos also posted to a TikTok page, which only had a single clip of a Subway Surfers mobile game. However, the bio read, “Kids be scared irl [in real life].”
The shooting comes just more than a week after the shooting at a Tops supermarket in Buffalo, N.Y., that left 10 dead.
Following the two massacres, Senate Democrats are pushing for a major floor debate on gun control as Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) faces increasing pressure to bring a gun control measure to the floor before the July 4 recess.