Uvalde

An 18-year-old gunman opened fire Tuesday at a Texas elementary school, killing 14 children, one teacher and injuring others, Gov. Greg Abbott said, and the ...

In 2018, a gunman fatally shot 10 people at Santa Fe High School in the Houston area. Efforts by lawmakers to change U.S. gun policies in any significant way have consistently faced roadblocks from Republicans and the influence of outside groups such as the NRA. A year after Sandy Hook, Sens. Joe Manchin a West Virginia Democrat, and Patrick J. Toomey, a Pennsylvania Republican, negotiated a bipartisan proposal to expand the nation’s background check system. It was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. grade school since a gunmen killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, almost a decade ago. The gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun and possibly a rifle, Gov. Greg Abbott said. This was the school’s last week of classes before summer break. The massacre of young children was another gruesome moment for a country scarred by an almost ceaseless string of mass killings at churches, schools and stores. Abbott said the shooter was likely killed by police officers but that the events were still being investigated. He did not provide ages of the children who were shot. Another hospital reported a 66-year-old woman was in critical condition. Federal law enforcement officials said the death toll was expected to rise. But it was not immediately clear whether that number included the assailant.

Reed's letter to the San Antonio-based diocese follows. Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,. Earlier today, a teenage gunman murdered at least 14 elementary- ...

We lift up to you our weary, wounded souls and ask you to send your Holy Spirit to take away the anger and violence that infects our hearts, and make us instruments of your peace and children of the light. In your prayers, make room for the children of Uvalde—all of them, and of all ages—and pray for all victims of violence that the Peace of Christ will be known and welcomed. O God our Father, whose beloved Son took children into his arms and blessed them: Give us grace to entrust your beloved children of Uvalde to your everlasting care and love, and bring them fully into your heavenly kingdom. He tells the disciples to move aside and make room for them, and he takes the children in his arms and blesses them. There is nothing we can say today to comfort the parents, siblings, and grandparents whose lives were left in ruins by this evil violence. People we know and love are heart-broken and grief-stricken tonight, even as they seek ways to care for and comfort the devastated families and their town.