Texas school shooting LIVE: Suspect identified; AR-15 style rifle used in attack; 23 dead

Reacting to the Texas tragedy, Ukraine's ambassador to the US Oksana Markarova commented, "Losing children to gun violence in peaceful time is a tragedy beyond understanding. Ukraine knows too well the horror of growing number of lost children. And our prayers are with those who lost their loved ones to the horrible crime in the elementary school of Uvalde, Texas."

"Our country is paralyzed, not by fear, but by a gun lobby and a political party that has shown no willingness to act in any way that might help prevent these tragedies," tweeted former US President Barak Obama after a mass shooting at Texas school killed 23. 

Speaking to reporters on the deadly shooting at Texas elementary school, Steve Kerr, Head basketball coach of the 'Golden State Warriors' said, "In the last 10 days, we've had elderly black people killed in a supermarket in Buffalo, we've had Asian churchgoers killed in Southern California, now we have children murdered at school. When are we going to do something?"

"So I ask you, Mitch McConnell, ask all of you senators who refuse to do anything about the violence in school shootings and supermarket shootings -  are you going to put your own desire for power ahead of the lives of our children and our elderly and our churchgoers?" said an emotional Kerr."

'There are people who need help. Families are in shock. We need to work on building a relationship, humanity,' the priest said, mourning the mass shooting in Texas school.

Police have identified the suspect as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, who was a student at Uvalde High School. Wearing body armor, he reportedly entered the school with an AR-15-style rifle and numerous magazines. 

As he approached the school, a Uvalde ISD school resource officer engaged the suspect, but Ramos shot him, said police.  They are now tracing the AR-15 style rifle the shooter used, and also recovered the body armor and numerous magazines of ammunition.

Police also said that Ramos posted photos of his guns on Instagram and, shortly before the shooting, he messaged a girl he vaguely knew hinting that he was planning an attack. Ramos is said to have killed his grandmother, before the mass shooting at school.

Ramos tagged her in a photo of his guns and wrote: 'I got lil secret. I wanna tell you. Be grateful I tagged you.' She replied: 'No it's just scary' and said: 'I barely know you and you tag me in a picture with some guns.'

The death toll from the Texas school shooting has risen to 23, including 19 children, 2 teachers, a grandmother, and the suspected shooter.

Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors paid tribute to the victims of a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday. The teams held a moment of silence before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals.

"The NBA family is devastated by the horrific shooting that took place today in Uvalde, Texas. Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the victims’ families and friends, and the entire Robb Elementary School and Uvalde community," the board said in a tweet. 

Live visuals from the scene at a Texas elementary school where at least 18 students and 3 teachers were killed and the shooter is believed to have been killed by responding officers.

Tune in to watch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EguYDSbSBZM

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he is deeply shocked and saddened by the heinous mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. It is particularly heart-wrenching that most of the victims are children, he said in a tweet. 

"It's time to act! We need to let those know who block the common-sense gun laws that we will not forget. Our prayer tonight for parents lying in bed trying to figure out, will I be able to sleep again," said US President Joe Biden on the shooting at an elementary school in Texas. 

"As a nation, we have to ask when in God's name are we going to stand up to the gun lobby and do what needs to be done? Parents will never see their children again. So many crushed spirits...," he added.

"It is time for all in Congress to heed the will of the American people & join in enacting the House-passed bipartisan, commonsense, life-saving legislation into law," said Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a string of tweets after the Texas school shooting.

US Vice President Kamala Harris, reacting to the mass shooting that killed 21 people in Texas, said the country must have the courage to take a stand against gun violence.

"As a nation, we have to have the courage to take action," Harris said. And to "understand the nexus between what makes for reasonable and sensible public policy to ensure something like this never happens again."

"Our hearts keep getting broken," Harris said, as she called on the civic leaders in the room to take action to prevent such shootings.

"These kinds of mass shootings rarely happen elsewhere in the world. Why are we willing to live with this carnage?" tweeted Biden after a teenager in Texas shot 21 at an Elementary school in Uvalde. 

President Joe Biden has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and at all public buildings throughout the U.S. and abroad "as a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence" following an elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

"The US flag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time (until sunset of May 28) at all US embassies, legations, consular offices, & other facilities abroad, including all military facilities & naval vessels, stations," said Biden.

"An 18-year-old shooter killed 18 students and 3 teachers. Shooter himself is deceased believably by responding officers. This is the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook elementary school shooting. This is in Uvalde, Texas- a small town with not more than 20,000 people," CNN quoted Texas Governor Greg Abbott at a presser, following the incident. 

US President Joe Biden spoke with Texas Governor Greg Abbott to offer any and all assistance he needs in the wake of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas which killed 18 students and 3 teachers.

Meta, previously known as Facebook. has said that it is in contact with the school authorities over the Texas shooting. According to CNN, a Meta spokesperson said that it had removed an Instagram account circulating online that some had claimed belonged to the suspected gunman. Meta did not confirm if the account is linked to the suspect.

Dr. Hal Harrell, superintendent of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has said that the district will cancel the rest of its school year, which was supposed to conclude in two days on Thursday. During a press conference, he said, "The school year's done. We will have no school tomorrow or Thursday. All activities are cancelled throughout the district". Harrell also said that the school would be providing "grief counseling and support at the civic center for our students" starting tomorrow at 10 AM.

"This was a tragic, senseless event today and my heart is broke today, our hearts and thoughts and prayers are with all our families as we go through this day and days to come," the superintendent said. 

As per reports, the death toll for the Texas school shooting has now risen to 18 children and 3 adults, according to the Texas state senator. 

Three police officials have told CNN that the Texas school shooter is believed to have shot his grandmother before arriving at the school. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez said the woman was airlifted to San Antonio and "is still holding on," citing information he was given by the Texas Rangers, as per the report.

Named by the officials as Salvador Ramos, the suspect reportedly "abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed according to my most recent report. He shot and killed, horrifically, incomprehensively, fourteen students and killed a teacher", Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police Chief Pete Arredondo said after informing previously about a "mass casualty incident" at the school. 

US Vice President Kamala Harris criticized the mass shooting at a Texas elementary school on Tuesday, in which at least 14 children and a teacher were killed, and urged lawmakers to implement measures to guarantee that it 'never happens again.' She stated that while they don't have all of the details yet but they do know that there are parents who have lost children, families who have lost children and their loved ones, as well as many others who may have been injured.

To show respect for the victims of Tuesday's deadly shooting at a Texas elementary school, President Joe Biden ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff, according to media reports. At Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, a gunman killed fourteen children and a teacher in what Biden described as "senseless acts of violence."

The White House, all public buildings, military posts and navy ships, embassies and other facilities will have their flags lowered to half-staff until sunset Saturday.

The assailant also shot and wounded a Border Patrol agent, who was one of the first law enforcement officers on the site. According to a federal law enforcement official who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is still underway, the agent is in good health at the hospital.

President Joe Biden has been updated on the school shooting as he returns from a five-day trip to Asia, according to White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who stated that POTUS Biden will deliver a statement in the White House on Tuesday evening.

Uvalde Memorial Hospital claimed that after the incident 13 children were transported to the hospital via ambulance, and a 66-year-old mother was reported to be in critical condition at another hospital. The number of people injured in the incident, in addition to the deaths, was not immediately known.