The grandmother of Salvador Ramos, the gunman who killed 19 children and two adults in a mass shooting at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, last Tuesday, worked as a teacher’s aide there, a new report said.
Ramos first shot his grandmother Celia “Sally” Martinez Gonzales in the face before stealing the family truck and driving to Robb Elementary School just before midday on Tuesday.
He was subsequently shot dead by law enforcement officers.
A friend of the Ramos family told The New York Post that Ms Gonzales, who survived the attack and is recovering in a hospital, worked as a teacher’s aide at the Robb Elementary School.
“His grandmother worked in one of those classrooms a lot of the time,” the friend, who remained anonymous, was quoted as saying to the Post.
“She knows a lot of the kids who died and was close to them.”
Police said all 21 victims of the shooting were in the same classroom.
While the family friend and public records – cited by the Post in their report – showed Ms Gonzales was employed at the school at the time of the shooting, it was unclear why she was not present on the fateful day.
“I’m not sure if that’s what his motive was,” said the family friend.
“I’ve heard so many things about why he was there. It will all come out in the end.”
Ms Gonzales is listed as “Sally”, a teacher’s aide at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, public records showed, reported the Post.
A spokesperson for the school did not immediately respond to requests for a comment, the outlet said.
Ramos had been staying with his grandparents for two-three months prior to the shooting.
Ms Gonzales’ husband Rolando Reyes had earlier stated his wife had asked Ramos to start paying his own cellphone bills just moments before she was shot by the teenager.
She had called the police after he shot her and was later taken to a hospital in critical condition.
While she is recovering, Mr Reyes said she is unable to speak and can only communicate in writing.
“She has a notebook where she writes what she’s trying to say, but when we can’t make it out, she gets frustrated,” Mr Reyes was quoted as saying.
Officials said Ramos, who legally purchased two AR-15-style rifles for his 18th birthday, one of which he used during the shooting, had no known criminal record or a record of mental health issues prior to the attack.
