Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old Texas shooter who allegedly killed
21 people at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday, had had a difficult
childhood. Now, for the first time, Ramos’ mother has spoken out about the
tragedy that has shaken the tightly-knit working-class community bordering
Mexico. Speaking to ABC News, Ramos’ mother Adriana Reyes said her son could be
aggressive, “but was not a monster.”

“He can be aggressive…if he really got mad,” said
Reyes, whose son was gunned down by law enforcement after he went on a shooting
spree. “We all have a rage, that some people have it more than others,” she
said, adding that she had an uneasy feeling sometimes.

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Ramos’ mother also offered her condolences to the parents
of children killed in the massacre.  “Those
kids…I have no words…I don’t know what to say about those poor kids,” she said.

Ramos, who was said to have been bullied at school,
was also a bully, said students who went to high school with him. “I do vividly
remember him being a bully in school. It wasn’t just that he was getting
bullied, he was also the bully,” said 18-year-old Jaime Cruz to AFP.

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On Tuesday, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother,
crashed his car in a ditch, walked in with an assault-style rifle and started
shooting. He roamed the school for nearly 40 minutes, until law enforcement
officials finally shot him down.

On Friday, Victor Escalon of the Texas Department of
Public Safety (DPS) said investigators are still piecing together what exactly
happened.

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Meanwhile, Daniel Defense, a gun manufacturer whose
gun was used in the massacre, decided to not participate in the upcoming National
Rifle Association (NRA) event in Houston this weekend. “We believe this week is
not the appropriate time to be promoting our products in Texas at the NRA
meeting.”

However, on being asked how Salvador Ramos was able to
obtain the gun, Texas Governor Greg Abbott brushed aside calls for greater gun
control.