Texas Representative Tony Gonzales believes the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School could have been avoided.
According to Newsweek, today (May 27), Gonzales did an interview with Fox News where he revealed that 18-year-old accused gunman Salvador Ramos was arrested four years ago for planning to shoot up a school when he turned 18.
“You know, when I’m a senior in 2022, I am going to shoot up a school,” Ramos allegedly said. Officials previously announced that the gunman had no known criminal history. According to Gonzales, he received the new information “late last night.” The representative did not reveal his source while speaking to the news outlet.
Gonzales continued, “Something fell between the cracks between then and now to allow this to happen. We need to shake out all the facts. We need to figure out what happened. Where the holes and we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.” He added, “But if law enforcement, you know, identified him four years ago as a threat, we need to figure out why he wasn’t — you know, how he got removed from that.”
Ramos had only recently turned 18, so it’s possible that although he did not have an adult criminal record, he could have had a juvenile criminal record. Sources say Texas Governor Greg Abbott has supported the theory.
In a press conference earlier this week, Abbott stated, “He may have had a juvenile record, but that is yet to be determined.” Juvenile criminal records are typically sealed.
In 2018, there was a report of two “Columbine-infatuated” Uvalde teen boys arrested for talks about a school shooting, however, authorities have denied that Ramos was involved in that incident.
As the world mourns the 21 lives lost in the May 24 massacre, Ramos’ family has expressed sadness for the victims. While speaking to the media, his grandfather denied knowing about his grandson’s deadly plans. “If I would have known, I would have reported him,” the grandfather said.