UN chief 'deeply saddened' by heinous mass shooting at Texas school, extends condolences

UN General-Secretary Antonio Guterres on Tuesday extended his condolences to families and loved ones of victims of Texas school shooting. Guterres said incident is particularly "heart-wrenching" as those killed were mostly children.

At least 18 children and three ors were fatally shot on Tuesday by a teenager in Uvalde, Texas. shooter was killed by law enforcement officers at site, said Sergeant Erik Estra from Department for Public Safety, Texas. US President Joe Biden in his emotional dress to nation prayed for victims and ir families noting that such "mass shootings rarely happen elsewhere in world." "To lose a child is to have a piece of your soul ripped away forever," he said, urging Americans to pray "for m (victims)...to give m strength in darkness." He has also ordered US flag on all federal buildings be flown half-staff.

At least 27 school shootings have taken place in 2022 alone, and 119 since 2018, Education Week reported. According to Gun Violence Archive, an independent mass shooting collection website, at least 200 gun-related violence have been reported this year, last being a racially-motivated massacre in Buffalo, New York. 10 Black people were killed by a gunman who espoused hatred against people of colour.

US Senator ples for action after mass shooting in texas school

Speaking on US Senate floor, Connecticut's Senator Chris Murphy did not hold back his emotions. Aggrieved and flustered, Murphy recalled trauma of 2012 Sandy Hook incident and Buffalo supermarket shooting. "What are we doing? Just days after a shooter walked into a grocery store to gun down African-American patrons, we have anor Sandy Hook on our hands. What are we doing?" Senator Murphy said. "Our kids are living in fear, every single time y set foot in a classroom because y think y're going to be next. What are we doing? Why do you spend all this time running for United States Senate? Why do you go through all hassle of getting this job or putting yourself in a position of authority, if your answer is that as this slaughter increases, as our kids run for ir lives, we do nothing," he told lawmakers with folded hands.

'Act of unspeakable violence': US AG

Meanwhile, US Attorney General Merrick Garland called dely school shooting at Robb Elementary School an "act of unspeakable violence that has devastated an entire community and shaken our country," CNN reported. He furr informed that Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) have jointly responded to scene. "We join our fellow Americans in mourning this terrible loss and in ir resolve to end this senseless violence," AG Garland remarked.

Meanwhile, former US President Bill Clinton called for action on guns as America continues to face a dely cycle of relentless mass shootings in schools. incident has reminded many of Sandy Hook School shooting that killed over 20 children in 2012. "We owe to se families and families who have experienced similar losses. Enough is enough. Our elected leers must find common-sense ways to keep our children and communities safe," Clinton said in a statement.

(Image: AP)