President Joe Biden and his wife Jill Biden arrived in Uvalde, Texas on Sunday morning to comfort a community reeling from the deadliest school shooting in the United States in a decade.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed on Tuesday, when an 18-year-old gunman stormed into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and locked himself in a fourth grade classroom.
Salvador Ramos, 18, had an AR style assault rifle on him and had recently legally purchased two weapons and more than 1,600 rounds of ammunition.
Authorities said they found more than 300 rounds inside the school including 142 bullets that had been fired.
The president and his wife lay a bouquet of flowers at a memorial site to the victims that has sprung up outside of Robb Elementary in the days since the attack. They then solemnly inspected portraits of the victims that have been left at the site. The first lady and president could be seen on video touching some of the photos. The two then attended mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church just a kilometre from the school.
The attack in Uvalde is the deadliest school shooting in the US since 2012, when 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at Sandyhook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
It has shaken the community of 15,000 to its core and once again ignited a furious and often repeated debate on gun control in the US.
Thousands gathered outside the National Rifle Association’s annual convention held in Houston, Texas, just a four drive from Uvalde, to protest against America’s biggest gun lobby.
Former President Donald Trump, who headlined the event, denounced calls for gun regulations and said now was a time to “unite”.
Police have been heavily criticised for failing to intervene in the attack earlier. On Friday, it was revealed that 19 police officers were in the hallway waiting to breach the classroom door for 45 minutes.
“Of course it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision,” said Steven McCraw, Texas Department of Public Safety Director.
"From what we know, we believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can," he added.
Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, who initially praised law enforcement's response has had to walk back his previous comments.
"I was misled," he said at a news conferencing on Friday. "I am livid about what happened."
"Those are families whose lives have been destroyed. They need answers that are accurate and it is inexcusable that they may have suffered from any inaccurate information whatsoever," he added
President Biden was expected to meet with families of those killed in Tuesday’s shooting as well as survivors later on Sunday.
The president was also expected to meet with first responders.
Mr Biden’s trip to Uvalde was the second time in two weeks he had travelled to comfort an ailing community.
Earlier this month, he visited Buffalo, New York after a gunman opened fire at a shopping centre, killing 10 people, in what authorities have said was a racially motivated attack.
Agencies contributed to this report
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Switch%20Foods%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Edward%20Hamod%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Plant-based%20meat%20production%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2034%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%246.5%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Based%20in%20US%20and%20across%20Middle%20East%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
