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A reported 21 people were killed in an attack by a lone gunman at an elementary school in the small town of Uvalde, Texas. At least 19

students and two adults at were among the casualties.

The gunman was killed by police, according to local law enforcement officials.

The attack at Robb Elementary occurred just two days before summer break, according to the school's calendar that listed May 26 

 The school taught students in grades 2 through 4 and around 600 students attended.

Uvalde, Texas, is a community of around 16,000 people — most of whom are Hispanic, according to the U.S. Census data. The town sits about 85 miles west of San Antonio.

It's the kind of place where "interconnections are thick" and no one would have expected a mass shooting at the local school, Marc Duvoisin, the editor-in-chief of the nearby San Antonio Express-News, 

Uvalde is also best known as the hometown of Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey.

The 18-year-old gunman attended Uvalde High School — which had its graduation set for this coming Friday. Law enforcement said he acted alone.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez told CNN Tuesday evening, following a briefing from Texas Rangers, that the shooter bought at least two assault rifles shortly after his 18th birthday.

"He had no problem accessing those weapons," Gutierrez said during his interview.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said during a press conference that it's believed that the shooter abandoned his vehicle and entered into the school with a weapon.

He added, the suspect also allegedly shot his grandmother before going to Robb Elementary.

A Border Patrol agent shot the school gunman

Local officers asked for backup after engaging with the gunman. A Border Patrol tactical unit responded to the scene, and one of its agents shot and killed the suspect, according to a source with the agency.

The school year is over and other events canceled

Graduation for the local high school is postponed for now, according to the Uvalde Consolidated School District Superintendent Hal Harrell. He spoke during a second press conference Tuesday.

Harrell clarified the district's school year is done, following the shooting, and that all other events are canceled.

Grief counseling is going to be provided for students and their families starting Wednesday morning at the local civic center, Harrell said.

Local hospitals respond and call for blood donors

 14 people (11 whom were children) following the shooting at Robb. Two children received by the hospital were dead, 

according to the hospital's CEO, Tom Nordwick. 

Several of the patients had to be transferred to trauma centers in San Antonio for further treatment, Nordwick said.

Early Tuesday evening, local hospitals and other organizations put out a call for blood donors to respond to the tragedy.

, "If you are looking for ways to help, please consider donating blood. Your donation can help ensure we have supplies immediately available for the victims of this tragic shooting."

The hospital said their donor room has availability through the week.

 it would hold a blood drive Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., local time.

Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff at the White House and other government buildings following news of the tragedy.

Sen. Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut, took to the Senate floor hours after news of the shooting broke. Newtown, Conn., in Murphy's state, is the location of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting during which 26 people — mostly six and seven year olds — were killed.

Murphy has aggressively called for gun reform following that incident.

, "What are we doing? Days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down African American patrons, we have another Sandy Hook on our hands. What are we doing?"

He pleaded with his colleagues to act on gun control legislation now. 

Crime, Law and Justice

Disasters

Jaclyn Diaz

Author

The attack Tuesday afternoon at Robb Elementary School took the lives of 21 people.

What we know so far about the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas

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