Crime Uvalde School Shooting: Heartbreaking Photos Show the Aftermath of the Tragedy On May 24, 2022, a shooter opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, leaving 21 people — 19 children and two adults — dead By Andrea Wurzburger Updated on May 31, 2022 12:50 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 38 The scene Tuesday outside Robb Elementary School. Twenty-one people are dead — 19 students and two teachers — after a shooting on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The shooting is the second-deadliest school shooting in United States history and comes nearly a decade after the December 2012 shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, which killed 26. 02 of 38 Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty The children killed were in the second, third and fourth grades, police said. According to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, the shooter, identified as Uvalde resident Salvador Ramos, is dead. The shooter opened fire at Robb Elementary School at about 11:30 a.m. after abandoning his vehicle, and it is believed police killed him. 03 of 38 First responders told PEOPLE that when they arrived, they could still hear the sounds of shots being fired as teachers and students rushed from the school. Panicked parents — some barefoot, others wearing business suits — rushed to the school in a desperate search for their children. "Fathers smashed windows, and physically pulled their kids out of classrooms," Ernest "Chip" King, a Uvalde firefighter who was one of the first responders at the scene, told PEOPLE. "There was a lot of chaos." 04 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty "There was lot of angst and a lot of fear," said King. "Parents were wondering where their kids were, trying to find them amidst all the chaos. They were terrified." At right, people sit on the curb outside of the elementary school, waiting to be reunited with their loved ones. 05 of 38 Parents comfort each other after Tuesday's massacre. Brandon Bell/Getty Others were directed to reunification points, such as SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center. Pictured: People embrace as they mourn outside of the civic center. 06 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/getty In 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the U.S., surpassing motor vehicle crashes, according to The New England Journal of Medicine. Pictured: Two people hug outside of Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas. 07 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/getty In his address on Tuesday night, President Biden said, "As a nation, we have to ask, when in God's name are we going to stand up to gun lobbying? When in God's name will we do what we all know in our gut that needs to be done?" Pictured: A woman cries as she hugs a young girl outside of Willie de Leon Civic Center. 08 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/getty Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement, "Every time a tragedy like this happens our hearts break. And our broken hearts are nothing compared to the broken hearts of those families, and yet it keeps happening," she continued, later adding, "Enough is enough." Pictured: A child cries on the curb following the shooting at Robb Elementary School. 09 of 38 Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty People hold hands during a prayer vigil in Uvalde's town center on May 24. 10 of 38 Families hug outside the Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas. ALLISON DINNER/getty In 2022 alone, there have been 212 mass shooting events, 27 of which were school shootings. Pictured: A man hugs a child after being reunited following the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary school. 11 of 38 Dario Lopez-Mills/AP People comfort one another outside of the civic center on Tuesday following the shooting. 12 of 38 Dario Lopez-Mills/AP The archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia-Siller, comforts families outside the civic center. 13 of 38 Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty Members of the community gather at the City of Uvalde Town Square for a prayer vigil on May 24. 14 of 38 Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty People raise their hands in prayer and cry at the vigil on May 24. 15 of 38 Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty A family, including a young child, hold hands and embrace at the prayer vigil. 16 of 38 Brandon Bell/Getty Images A family grieves outside of the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center on May 24. 17 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images A woman hugs and kisses two children outside of the Willie de Leon Civic Center on May 24. 18 of 38 Robb Elementary School. Brandon Bell/Getty Images The welcome sign at Robb Elementary School has become a memorial for the 19 children and two teachers who were killed. 19 of 38 John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Vigils were held in Uvalde and across the state of Texas on Wednesday night. 20 of 38 CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images Uvalde County Fairplex served as a place for people to gather on May 25. Many leaders within the Uvalde community spoke during the remembrance event, including Pastor Tony Gruben of the Baptist Temple Church, who told mourners, "Our hearts are broken. We are devastated," according to NBC News. 21 of 38 John Lamparski/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Mourners gather to grieve and pray in the wake of the tragedy. 22 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images Locals bow their heads in prayer at a vigil in Uvalde, Texas, on May 25. 23 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images People mourn together at a vigil on May 25. 24 of 38 ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images A woman holds a photo of 10-year-old Nevaeh Bravo, whose death was confirmed by her cousin on Twitter, per the Los Angeles Times. "Unfortunately my beautiful Nevaeh was one of the many victims from todays tragedy," she wrote. "Thank you for the support and help. Rest in peace my sweet girl, you didn't deserve this." 25 of 38 CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images A woman cries at a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. 26 of 38 Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images People gather at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde, Texas, to pray and mourn for the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School. 27 of 38 CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images Two young women hug a police officer while attending a vigil in Uvalde on May 25. 28 of 38 Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Gun control advocates Dana Cibulski and Judi Giannini attend a vigil outside of the National Rifle Association headquarters on May 25. 29 of 38 Brandon Bell/Getty Images People gather to pray for the 21 victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde on May 25. 30 of 38 Mourners at a vigil for the victims. Brandon Bell/Getty Images People embrace and cry at a vigil on May 25. 31 of 38 Memorial for the 21 victims of the Uvalde school shooting. Elaine Aradillas A memorial to the 21 victims stands outside the Uvalde County Courthouse on May 26. 32 of 38 Lutheran Church Charities Service dogs are deployed to the area around the Uvalde County Courthouse on May 26 to comfort mourners. 33 of 38 Lutheran Church Charities One of the service dogs stands watch over the memorial. 34 of 38 The memorial to the victims is aglow with candles on May 27. 35 of 38 Ilana Panich-Linsman On May 27, Javier Garcia hugs Emily Valle in front of the memorial of Emily's cousin Layla Salazar, who was killed in the school shooting. 36 of 38 A makeshift memorial outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were fatally shot May 24. Michael M. Santiago/Getty The memorial to the victims at Robb Elementary continues to grow on May 30. 37 of 38 ZUMAPRESS.com / MEGA President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden bring flowers to Robb Elementary during a somber visit on May 29. 38 of 38 MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty The Bidens join the Uvalde community for mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church on May 29.