Chilling footage has appeared to capture a shooting suspect entering an elementary school in Texas before slaughtering 19 children and two teachers.
Robb Elementary School in the city of Uvalde was placed on lockdown at around 11.45am yesterday after gunshots were heard.
The attacker allegedly fired at the elementary school, which is believed to cater for children aged seven to 10, after exchanging gunfire with border patrol agents and barricading himself inside the building.
Police later confirmed that 19 children and three adults had died in the incident, after gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, is believed to have shot his own grandmother before setting off for the school.
A video posted to social media on Tuesday by resident Elsa G Ruiz shows a man of similar appearance to the suspect, dressed in dark clothing with medium long hair, carrying what is believed to be a weapon and walking into a building.
She wrote: "What my girls just sent me this is at Robb. Prayers for the kids and staff."
Uvalde Police Department confirmed on Facebook that the attacker was in police custody shortly after 1pm.
Later it was confirmed he had been shot and killed by officers.
Tuesday's attack is the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut nearly a decade ago, in which 20 children and six adults were killed.
Two heroic teachers, Imra Garcia, 46, and co-teacher, Eva Mireles, 44, laid down their lives protecting the schoolchildren.
Several student victims who lost their lives have also now been named.
Among them are Xavier Lopez, 10, Makenna Elrod, 10, Eliahana 'Elijah Cruz' Torres, 10, Rogelio Torres, Uziyah Garcia, 8, Amerie Jo Garza, and Neveah Bravo.
US President Joe Biden called for action on gun laws following the shooting, saying: "The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong. I'd hoped when I became president I would not have to do this, again."
Before setting off on his rampage, Salvador Ramos is reported to have shot his grandmother and left her in critical condition in hospital. She has since died from her injuries.
Governor Greg Abbott earlier said: "It's believed that he abandoned his vehicle and entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and he may have also had a rifle, but that is not yet confirmed according to my most recent report.
"He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher."
Robb Elementary School, which has 600 students aged from second to fourth grades enrolled, is located around 60 miles east of the Mexico border and around 80 miles west of San Antonio.