A memorial rally was held at an elementary school in Texas, USA, following a shooting that killed 21 people, including 19 children, and attendees prayed in mourning for the victims.
On the 24th (25th Japan time) in Uvalde, Texas, a man broke into an elementary school and fired a gun, killing 21 people, including 19 children.
The man, an 18-year-old Salvador Ramos who attended a local high school, was shot dead on the spot by a rushing police officer.
A memorial rally was held at the arena near the site on the 25th, and all the gathered people mourned the victims and prayed.
At the venue, we saw people holding pictures of young children who seemed to have been sacrificed, and people weeping.
Governor Abbott of Texas at a press conference.
Immediately before the suspect went to elementary school, he revealed that he had posted on Facebook "I shot my grandmother" and "I'm going to shoot at school" to announce the crime.
About this, Meta, the IT giant that runs Facebook, said it was a private one-on-one message.
Also, according to local security officials, the suspect fired at her grandmother, who lived with her, before actually heading to the scene, and her grandmother was seriously injured.
The Associated Press and others have reported that they were buying rifles and ammunition at local stores one after another earlier this month, when the suspect celebrated his 18th birthday when he could legally buy guns locally.
However, the motivation for the crime has not been clarified so far.
In response to the incident, President Biden emphasized the importance of tightening gun control, but Republican Governor Abbott said at a meeting that it was not necessary, re-emphasizing disagreements over gun control. I am.
Attendees at the memorial ceremony
A woman who attended the ceremony said, "I was very shocked by the incident. I attended the ceremony today with the desire to mourn the deceased children and be with them."
One of the men said, "Now that a tragic event has happened, it's important for the community to be united. I think that's what it takes to overcome the sadness, but it will take a long time." I was talking.