Wednesday, 25 May 2022

What we know about the elementary school shooting in Texas. Plus, how to talk to your kids about it. Here's the latest.

May 25, 2022 | VIEW IN BROWSER

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The nation is shaken after another mass shooting, this time at an elementary school in Texas. At least 21 were killed — 19 children and two teachers who shielded their students. Here's what we know about the victims so far. Plus, an anguished President Biden calls out the gun lobby, and some tips on how to talk to your kids about tragedies like this.

THE LATEST

19 children and 2 teachers were killed in the Texas school shooting. Here's what we know so far.

At least 19 children and two teachers were killed in a mass shooting Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, a small town 80 miles west of San Antonio. The victims included a third grade student, three fourth graders and two teachers who died trying to protect them. One of the teachers, Eva Mireles, taught for 17 years. You can read more about the victims here. The suspected shooter was identified as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old high school student. Three police officers, a school resource officer and two city cops, initially opened fire on the gunman, who wore body armor and carried at least one rifle, but were unable to stop him, one local official said. The shooter was killed later after a tactical team arrived. Multiple survivors are being treated at area hospitals.

'Sick and tired of it': An outraged President Biden calls for common sense gun laws.

In an evening address from the White House, President Biden once again called for Congress to take action on gun control following another mass shooting, saying "enough is enough." "As a nation we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby?" Biden said. It was just one week ago that Biden was in Buffalo addressing a different mass shooting, where 10 people were killed in a racist attack at a grocery store. "Why are we willing to live with this carnage?" Biden said Tuesday. "Where in God's name is our backbone?" The president has urged Congress to pass laws that would require universal background checks and ban assault weapons but has been met with little support.

Sadly, kids learn about bad news. Here's how to talk to your children about shootings, according experts.

It's become an unfortunate reality: When mass shootings occur, parents have to figure out a way to talk to their kids about it. We spoke to a parenting expert for this age-by-age guide on how to address tragedies with children. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend avoiding the topic with kids under 8. For older kids, though, asking questions, listening to their feelings and discussing solutions can be helpful starting points.

From the TODAY archives: A Sandy Hook mom reflects on the fresh pain of every mass shooting.

Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was murdered in his classroom in the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. And with every mass shooting, she says in an essay she wrote for TODAY in 2019, heartbroken families are joining a club that, like her, they never wanted to be a part of. One thing Nicole says she's learned: There are usually warning signs that can be critical to prevention, and we just have to heed them. Read her powerful essay here.

ONE LAST THING

Following Tuesday's shooting, Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy made a passionate plea to his Senate colleagues to take action against gun violence and mass shootings. Murphy was a congressman representing Newtown when the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting happened in 2012, and he's been a strong advocate for gun control legislation. "Nowhere else does that happen except here in the United States of America," Murphy told his fellow lawmakers. "It is a choice. It is our choice to let it continue. What are we doing?"