Amanda Gorman Writes Poem Amid Aftermath Of Uvalde Shooting
National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, turned to her art to address the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 children and two adults dead by an 18-year-old gunman.
The 24-year-old tweeted, “Schools scared to death. The truth is, one education under desks, Stooped low from bullets; That plunge when we ask Where our children Shall live & how & if.”
She continued, “It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity – it’s inhumanity… The truth is one nation is under guns. What might we be if only we tried? What might we become if only we’d listen.”
It takes a monster to kill children. But to watch monsters kill children again and again and do nothing isn’t just insanity—it’s inhumanity.
— Amanda Gorman (@TheAmandaGorman) May 24, 2022
It was reported that state police identified the alleged shooter as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, who had been a student at a nearby high school. The suspect shot his grandmother prior to abandoning his vehicle and entered Robb Elementary with a handgun and possibly a rifle, according to Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Authorities believe Ramos acted alone, FOX News reports. A fuller story is emerging about what happened in the shooter’s last moments. It’s believed that he was in the school for nearly an hour before police entered and shot Ramos dead. Robb Elementary parents are reporting they came to the school and were prevented from entering as police held a perimeter at the school.
Officials said Ramos posted images, including a picture of a high-capacity gun magazine, to an Instagram account and messaged a woman about his plans before the shooting.