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May 25, 2022 - Technology

Texas shooter sent messages detailing plans prior to attack

Ashley Gold
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's face is visible behind a lectern

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott in March. Photo: Callaghan O'Hare/Bloomberg via Getty Images

The shooter in the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school mass shooting warned of his plans in online messages shortly before the attack.

Details: He sent messages saying he was going to shoot his grandmother, that he had shot his grandmother, and that he was going to "shoot an elementary school," Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday in a press conference.

  • It's not clear who the messages were sent to or what messaging services were used.
  • "The messages Gov. Abbott described were private one-to-one text messages that were discovered after the terrible tragedy occurred. We are closely cooperating with law enforcement in their ongoing investigation," Meta spokesperson Andy Stone tweeted.

What they're saying: Abbott said the only meaningful warning about the tragedy came in messages posted to Facebook around 30 minutes before.

  • It is not immediately clear whether the messages were sent via SMS text or via the Meta platform on WhatsApp, Instagram or Facebook.

The big picture: 19 kids and at least 2 adults died in the massacre.

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