The mother of the 18-year-old who shot and killed 21 innocent people in Texas on Tuesday has insisted that her son “wasn’t a violent person.” Adriana Reyes reported that she was surprised to learn about her son’s bloody massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Reyes’ son, Salvador Ramos, shot and critically wounded his grandmother before continuing on to the nearby elementary school where he killed 19 students and 2 teachers.
Ramos was a loner, according to his mother. She reported that he “kept to himself and didn’t have many friends.” In an interview with the Daily Mail, Reyes said, “My son wasn’t a violent person. I’m surprised by what he did.”
“I pray for those families,” she added. “I’m praying for all of those innocent children, yes I am. They had no part in this.”
The shooter’s mother also addressed rumors that she had a toxic relationship with her son, claiming that they had a good relationship.
However, one of his classmates in high school, Nadia Reyes, reported that Ramos posted a video on his Instagram a couple of months ago of him screaming at his mother. “He posted videos on his Instagram where the cops were there and he’d call his mom a b**** and she wanted to kick him out,” said Nadia. “He’d be screaming and talking to his mom really aggressively.”
Nadia also recalled Ramos being involved in fistfights in middle school and junior high. “He would take things too far, say something that shouldn’t be said, and then he would go into defense mode about it,” she said.
Ruben Flores, a next-door neighbor of the family, reported that Ramos had “a pretty rough life with his mom,” and that Ramos went to live with his grandmother just a few months ago.
Another neighbor, Becky Flores, reported many disturbances at the Reyes home, including a visit from police officers on the day Ramos left to live with his grandmother.
Juan Alvarez, the boyfriend of Ramos’ mother, confirmed that Ramos would get into fights with his mother often. Alvarez also said that Ramos left his mother’s home to live with his grandmother after an argument broke out after he disconnected their WiFi.
“He was kind of a weird one,” said Alvarez. “I never got along with him. I never socialized with him. He doesn’t talk to nobody. When you try to talk to him he’d just sit there and walk away.”
“It’s wrong, man,” said Alvarez about the shooting. “It’s pretty bad. I feel sorry for the kids that died.”
Ramos’ grandfather, 74-year-old Rolando Reyes, reported that the shooter didn’t live with his mother because they had “problems.” He also insisted that his grandson didn’t seem violent, but rather was “very quiet” and “didn’t talk very much.”
Rolando reported that the family was unaware of Ramos’ purchase of lethal weapons after his 18th birthday. “I didn’t know he had weapons. If I’d have known, I would have reported it,” Rolando told ABC News.
While the mother maintains that Ramos was not violent, other friends and relatives have reported that Ramos had begun to violently lash out toward friends, strangers, and his mother. It is also reported that Ramos was bullied in school for a speech impediment including a lisp and stutter.
Stephen Garcia, Ramos’ alleged best friend in eighth grade, told The Washington Post that he was often the target of bullying in school. “He would get bullied hard, like bullied by a lot of people,” Garcia said. “Over social media, over gaming, everything.”
“He was the nicest kid, the most shyest kid,” continued Garcia. “He just needed to break out of his shell.”
Garcia added that, following the family’s move to a different area of Texas, Ramos “started being a different person.”
“He kept getting worse and worse, and I don’t even know,” said Garcia.
It has been reported that Ramos stopped attending school and was not going to graduate high school this year with his classmates.
