'This Is a Nightmare': Uvalde Residents React to Elementary School Massacre

The sounds of a wailing mother could be heard at the family reunification center in Uvalde, Texas, where 21 people were killed in a school shooting on Tuesday

A nighttime storm brewed in the distance Tuesday while journalists and law enforcement stood and watched a stream of Uvalde residents file into the Willie De Leon Civic Center, which had become a makeshift notification center for families.

At about 10 p.m., there was an unmistakable sound — a wailing mother. The crowd grew quiet and listened, as the storm got closer.

One woman who didn't want to be identified says the laid-back town where everyone knows everyone will never be the same.

"This is a nightmare. This doesn't happen in Uvalde. This is where you go to sleep with your doors open," says the woman who grew up within blocks of Robb Elementary School. "This is going to be a life-changing experience for everybody."

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Around that time, Sgt. Erick Estrada of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN's Don Lemon that the death toll had increased to 19 children and two adults. Initially, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that 14 students and their teacher were killed.

Families hug outside the Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas. ALLISON DINNER/getty

Authorities have said the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, shot his grandmother, who has so far survived her injuries, before driving to the school and crashing his car in a nearby ditch, then entering the building.

All the fatalities took place inside one classroom, authorities said.

It is believed that the suspect — who is now confirmed dead — was killed by police. A motive for the murders, if known, has not been released.

ALLISON DINNER/getty

Hours after the massacre, President Joe Biden addressed the nation in a nearly eight-minute speech, saying in part, "I had hoped when I became president I would not have to do this again, another massacre in Uvalde, Texas. An elementary school. Beautiful, innocent second, third, and fourth graders. How many scores of little children who witnessed what happened, see their friends die, as if they're in a battlefield for God's sake."

Continued Biden: "Parents who will never see their child again. Never have them jump in bed and cuddle with them. Parents who will never be the same. To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away. There's a hollowness in your chest; you feel like you're being sucked into it and never going to be able to get out, suffocating. It is never quite the same. It's a feeling shared by the siblings, the grandparents, the family members, the community that's left behind."

A teacher who was killed in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School has been identified.

Eva Mireles, 44, worked in the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District for 17 years, her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, told ABC7. She was also identified by relatives to the Associated Press and The New York Times.

She was a fourth grade teacher who loved running and hiking, according to her teacher bio.

"I have a supportive, fun, and loving family, which includes a UCISD officer (Ruiz), college graduate daughter (Adalynn), and 3 furry friends (Callie, Kane,& Koda)," Mireles wrote in her bio.

The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the "Robb School Memorial Fund") or donate money through Zelle to [e-mail]. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.