Shooting at Texas elementary school leaves 19 children, 2 adults dead

A school shooting in a Texas town has left at least 21 people dead, including the suspect.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday the 18-year-old suspect entered Robb Elementary School  in Uvalde with a handgun and possibly a rifle and opened fire.

Emergency personnel gather near Robb Elementary School following a shooting on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

According to The Associated Press, Abbott said the gunman lived in the community about 135 kilometres west of San Antonio.

The shooter was killed during a shootout with police that resulted in two officers being wounded.

It marks marks the 27th school shooting in the U.S. this year.

President Joe Biden called on America to turn its collective pain into political action.

U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Murphy pleaded with Republican colleagues on the floor of the Senate to pass legislation addressing the nation’s gun violence problem.

“What are we doing?” Murphy asked.

The Democrat, who represents Connecticut where a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown a decade ago, urged lawmakers to find a compromise.

“I’m here on this floor to beg — to literally get down on my hands and knees — to beg my colleagues. Find a path forward here. Work with us to find a way to pass laws that make this less likely.”

— With files from The Canadian Press