Mom of Texas School Shooter Had 'Uneasy Feeling' About Him, Said He Could Be 'Aggressive'

Adriana Reyes, the mother of the shooter, said her son was "not a monster" but could "be aggressive"

UVALDE, TX - MAY 25: In this aerial view, law enforcement works on scene at Robb Elementary School where at least 21 people were killed yesterday, including 19 children, on May 25, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. The shooter, identified as 18 year old Salvador Ramos, was reportedly killed by law enforcement.
Photo: Jordan Vonderhaar/Getty

The mother of the Texas elementary school shooter is speaking out about her son.

While speaking with ABC News' Matt Gutman for an interview at her home, Salvador Ramos' mother, Adriana Reyes, told the outlet that she worried about her son at times.

"I had an uneasy feeling sometimes, like, 'What are you up to?'" Reyes said. "He can be aggressive ... If he really got mad."

"We all have a rage, that some people have it more than others," Reyes added. She told Gutman her son, 18, was "not a monster," but could "be aggressive."

Reyes expressed her condolences for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. "Those kids… I have no words," she emotionally told ABC News. "I don't know what to say about those poor kids."

People mourn as they attend a vigil for the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
ALLISON DINNER/AFP via Getty Images

RELALTED: Texas School Shooting: What We Know About the Victims

Uvalde is a small city about 85 miles west of San Antonio. During the violence on Tuesday, the gunman barricaded himself inside an elementary school classroom, according to officials. All of the victims — those dead and injured — were found in that room. The children killed were in the second, third and fourth grades, police confirmed.

For more on the shooting massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

Before entering the school, the killer crashed his car in a nearby ditch. He was then able to enter the building.

Authorities have said that, prior to traveling to the school, the shooter shot his grandmother in the face. The woman survived her injuries, and managed to make it to the home of a neighbor, who called 911.

It is believed police killed the suspect. A motive for the murders, if known, has not been released. Police also said at a Tuesday press conference that they believe the shooter acted alone.

Juan Alvarez, the man who has been dating Reyes for just over a year, previously told NBC News that the shooter was a loner who had moved in with his grandparents two months ago following an intense argument with his mother.

Alvarez, 62, said the fight that led the shooter to move out centered on Wi-Fi, and his mother's decision to disconnect it. He added that the shooter had a tumultuous relationship with his mom, and that the two argued often.

"He was kind of a weird one," said Alvarez, noting the shooter, who was killed by a responding off-duty U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent, had been acting aloof as of late.

Gun-control advocates Dana Cibulski (L) and Judi Giannini attend a vigil outside of the National Rifle Association (NRA) headquarters
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Alvarez added: "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."

Vigils for the victims were held on Wednesday evening, with the community in the small, tight-knit city gathering at the Uvalde County Fairplex to remember the lives lost.

Many leaders within the Uvalde community spoke during the remembrance event, including Pastor Tony Gruben of the Baptist Temple Church, who told mourners, "Our hearts are broken. We are devastated," according to NBC News.

Towards the end of the event, a single violinist performed a moving rendition of "Amazing Grace" on stage, the Texas Tribune reported.

Other vigils, NBC News reported, were also held throughout Texas in San Antonio and the state's capital of Austin.

The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the "Robb School Memorial Fund") or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.

Related Articles