Gunman kills 14 children in attack at U.S. elementary school

Uvalde/ Washington (DPA) – 14 children and a teacher were killed in a rampage at an elementary school in the US state of Texas. This was announced by the Governor of Texas, Greg Abbott, after the attack in the small town of Uvalde near San Antonio.

The shooter is also dead. According to initial findings, the attacker was an 18-year-old young man who had been killed by officers.

Act reminiscent of Sandy Hook rampage

Rampages, even at schools, occur with sad regularity in the USA. A massacre at an elementary school ten years ago had caused particular shock: in December 2012, a 20-year-old with severe mental health problems had first shot his mother in Newtown, Connecticut. Then he had gone to his elementary school, Sandy Hook Elementary School, and killed 20 schoolchildren and six teachers there. He then killed himself. The act caused a shock nationwide at the time and also caused horror beyond the borders of the United States.

Just over a week ago, a gunman with an assault rifle opened fire at a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, shooting ten people and wounding three others. He was arrested at the scene. According to investigators, the crime was racially motivated – 11 of the 13 victims were black. Buffalo has a majority black population.