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u.s. news Diaranson 25 Mei 2022

Texas governor: 15 killed in school shooting; gunman dead

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — An
18-year-old gunman opened fire
Tuesday at a Texas elementary school,
killing 14 children, one teacher and
injuring others, Gov. Greg Abbott
said, and the gunman was dead.
It was the deadliest shooting at a U.S.
grade school since the shocking at-
tack at Sandy Hook Elementary in
Newtown, Connecticut, almost a de-
cade ago.
The gunman entered Robb Elemen-
tary School in Uvalde with a hand-
gun and possibly a rifle, Abbott said.
Officials have not revealed a motive
for the shooting, but said the shoot-
er was a resident of the community
that's about 85 miles (135 kilometers)
west of San Antonio.
Abbott said the shooter was likely
killed by responding officers but that
the events were still being investigat-
ed. Uvalde Consolidated Indepen-
dent School District Chief of Police
Pete Arredondo said at a news confer-
ence that the gunman acted alone.
It was the deadliest school shoot- Uvalde Memorial Hospital said 13 continue to receive updates. Jean- grim tally of mass shootings in Texas
ing in Texas history. It occurred four children were taken there. Another Pierre said Biden will deliver remarks that have been among the deadliest
years after a gunman fatally shot 10 hospital reported a 66-year-old wom- Tuesday evening at the White House. in the U.S. over the past five years.
people at Santa Fe High School in an was in critical condition. Uvalde is home to about 16,000 peo- One year before the Santa Fe school
the Houston area and less than two Robb Elementary School has an en- ple and is the seat of government for shooting in 2018, a gunman at Texas
weeks after a gunman opened fire at rollment of just under 600 students, Uvalde County. The town is about 75 church killed more than two dozen
a supermarket in Buffalo, New York, and Arredondo said it serves students miles (120 kilometers) from the bor- people during a Sunday service in the
killing 10 Black shoppers and work- in the second, third and fourth grade. der with Mexico. Robb Elementary is small town of Sutherland Springs. In
ers in what officials have described as He did not provide ages of the chil- in a mostly residential neighborhood 2019, another gunman at a Walmart
a hate crime. dren who were shot. of modest homes. in El Paso killed 23 people in a racist
"He shot and killed, horrifically, in- A heavy police presence surrounded A Border Patrol agent who was among attack.
comprehensibly, 14 students and the school Tuesday afternoon, with the first law enforcement officers on The shooting came days before the
killed a teacher," said the governor, officers in heavy vests diverting traf- scene was shot and wounded by the National Rifle Association annual
adding that two officers were shot fic and FBI agents coming and going gunman. The agent is hospitalized in convention was set to begin in Hous-
and wounded but were expected to from the building. good condition, according to a federal ton. Abbott and both of Texas' U.S.
survive. White House press secretary Karine law enforcement official who spoke senators were among elected Repub-
It was not immediately clear how Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden to The Associated Press on condition lican officials who were the sched-
many people, in addition to the dead, has been briefed on the school shoot- of anonymity because the investiga- uled speakers at a Friday leadership
were wounded, but Arredondo said ing on Air Force One as he returns tion was ongoing. forum sponsored by the NRA's lob-
there were "several injuries." Earlier, from a five-day trip to Asia and would The tragedy in Uvalde added to a bying arm.

Pelosi pushes back on archbishop who denies her Communion

WASHINGTON (AP) — refuse her Communion after "After numerous attempts to the point has come in which most outspoken U.S. bishops
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi she vowed to codify into law speak with her to help her I must make a public decla- advocating that Communion
pushed back Tuesday on the the Supreme Court's Roe vs. understand the grave evil she ration that she is not to be be denied to President Joe
decision by San Francisco's Wade decision establishing a is perpetrating, the scandal admitted to Holy Commu- Biden and other politicians
conservative Catholic arch- constitutional right to abor- she is causing, and the danger nion," Cordileone wrote. who support abortion rights.
bishop to deny her Com- tion. That legislation passed to her own soul she is risk- Over the past year, Cord- However, each bishop has au-
munion over her support of the House but died last week ing, I have determined that ileone has been among the thority in his own diocese on
abortion rights, saying she in the Senate. this matter, and the archbish-
respects that people have op- Pelosi said women and op of Washington, Cardinal
posing views but not when families need to know this Wilton Gregory, has affirmed
they impose them on others. is about more than abor- that Biden is welcome to re-
The California Democrat tion. "These same people are ceive the sacrament there.
says she comes from a large against contraception, family No. 2 Senate Democratic
family with many members planning, in vitro fertiliza- leader Richard Durbin of Il-
who oppose abortion. "I re- tion. It's a blanket thing and linois, who has been denied
spect people's views about they use abortion as the front Communion for years by his
that. But I don't respect us man for it." Springfield, Illinois, diocese
foisting it onto others." Pe- Cordileone has said he told due to his abortion-rights
losi added, "Our archbishop Pelosi that she must either views, voiced support Tues-
has been vehemently against repudiate her support of day for Pelosi. "I still believe
LGBTQ rights. In fact he led abortion rights or stop speak- that the authorities in the
the way in an initiative on the ing publicly about her Cath- church believe that we have
ballot in California." olic faith. In a separate letter issues that can only be de-
Pelosi made her comments to church members, he said cided by our own conscience
on MSNBC's "Morning he had asked several times to and not by some bishop's
Joe." In a letter last week to meet with Pelosi but that her conference," Durbin told re-
Pelosi, Archbishop Salvatore office didn't respond or told porters.
Cordileone said he would him she was busy.