SENATOR Ted Cruz was challenged by an irate gun control activist at a dinner in Houston following his address at the NRA convention on Friday.
Cruz is one of the few lawmakers who didn't back out of speaking at or attending the National Rifle Association's annual meeting in Texas this weekend.
"Why did you come here to the convention to take blood money? Why? When 19 children died," the man identified as Benjamin Hernandez questioned Cruz at a restaurant.
"19 children died! That’s on your hands!" Hernandez exclaimed. "That’s on your hands! Ted Cruz, that’s on your hands!”
The confrontation comes just days after Salvador Ramos opened fire at Robb Elementary School and killed 19 children and two teachers. He also left 17 others injured.
After one hour of being in the school, Ramos was shot dead by police.
Read our NRA Convention 2022 live blog for the latest news and updates…
- Forrest McFarland
Suspect shared chilling plot in Instagram messages
An Instagram user revealed haunting messages allegedly sent by the suspect, Salvador Ramos, after the shooting on Tuesday.
The account claiming to be the alleged gunman tagged a random user in a photo featuring weapons.
“You gonna repost my gun pics,” wrote the suspected shooter.
The person he tagged, who claims that she does not know the shooter and doesn’t live in Texas, asked: “What your guns gotta do with me?”
The shooter writes back: “Just wanted to tag you.”
- Forrest McFarland
Senator Chris Murphy: ‘What are we doing?’
Sen. Murphy referred to the shooting at Robb Elementary as “another Sandy Hook.”
“What are we doing?”
- Forrest McFarland
Blood donations needed
The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is in critical need of blood donations following the mass shooting, according to KSAT.
STBTC confirmed to the outlet that it sent at least 15 units to victims at Uvalde Memorial Hospital, but its supply is running out.
An emergency blood drive is scheduled Wednesday from 9am to 2pm at the Herby Ham Activity Center in Uvalde.
- Forrest McFarland
About Uvalde, Texas
Uvalde, Texas, has a population of about 16,000 people.
The town is about 75 miles from the Mexico border and 85 miles from San Antonio.
Robb Elementary School has an enrollment of just under 600 students and is reportedly in a residential area of the town.
- Forrest McFarland
‘Firework sounds’
An unnamed child survivor who was shot in the leg during the school shooting told his grandmother how the shooting “sounded like fireworks.”
She told KENS 5 that the massacre happened in her grandson’s classroom at Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Tuesday.
She added: “He’s scared right now, he said he was scared but he’s fine.
“It didn’t do any damage, hopefully no nerve damage and stuff, but he was just released and we thank God for that.
“We’re praying for all of the children that were taken by this mass murderer.”
- Forrest McFarland
School resource officer approached gunman
Steve McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, confirmed that a school resource officer approached Salvador Ramos outside of Robb Elementary.
Ramos was still able to enter the school.
- Forrest McFarland
Steve Kerr gives passionate speech following shooting
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr delivered a passionate speech following the massacre.
He said: “When are we going to do something.
“I’m tired. I am so tired of getting up here and offering condolences to the devastated families that are out there.
“I am so tired of the, excuse me, I am sorry, I am tired of the moments of silence. Enough!”
Kerr is a long-time advocate of gun control after his father Malcolm Kerr was killed in Beirut, Lebanon in 1984.
- Forrest McFarland
Facebook posts revealing intentions
Governor Abbott said that the gunman posted on Facebook 30 minutes before the shootings.
He said “I’m going to shoot my grandmother.”
Then posted, “I shot my grandmother.”
Then his final post less than 15 minutes before entering the school, “I’m going to shoot an elementary school.”
- Forrest McFarland
Beto O’Rourke removed from press conference
After O’Rourke’s initial heckling at the governor, someone was heard shouting, “I can’t believe you, you sick son of a b***h, you would come to an event like this to make it a political issue. A**holes like you, get out of here.”
Shortly after, O’Rourke was escorted out of the press conference.
He then went outside of the auditorium to speak to the media, where he criticized Abbott for not supporting red flag laws, gun storage laws, and an outright ban on AR-15s and AK-47s.
“This 18-year-old, who just turned 18, bought an AR-15 and took it into an elementary school and shot kids in the face and killed them,” O’Rourke told reporters.
- Forrest McFarland
Beto O’Rourke criticizes Gov Abbott
On May 25, 2022, Governor Greg Abbott held a press conference to speak about the Robb Elementary School shooting that left 19 kids and two teachers dead.
Among those in attendance was Beto O’Rourke, who yelled at the Texas governor as he finished speaking at the conference.
“You are doing nothing,” O’Rourke said to the governor, before officials responded, “you’re out of line and an embarrassment,” according to WFLA.
- Forrest McFarland
Who is Beto O’Rourke?
O’Rourke is known as an American politician who famously served as the U.S. representative for Texas’ 16th congressional district from 2013 to 2019.
As a member of the Democratic Party, O’Rourke ran for U.S. Senate in 2018 and for a Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.
He is now running against Abbott to become the next governor of Texas.
- Forrest McFarland
Beto O’Rourke heckled Abbott
The man who approached the stage was Former United States Representative Beto O’Rourke.
O’Rourke heckled and yelled at Texas Governor Greg Abbott while he was holding a press conference following the elementary school shooting.
Someone, who appeared to be on the stage, was then heard shouting, “you’re a sick son of a b***h.”
- Forrest McFarland
No criminal history identified yet
Gov Greg Abbott said that the gunman was a high school dropout and he did not have a known criminal record.
“There was no meaningful forewarning of this crime.”
- Forrest McFarland
‘I’m surprised by what he did’
“My son wasn’t a violent person. I’m surprised by what he did,” the shooter’s mother told the Mail.
“I pray for those families. I’m praying for all of those innocent children. Yes, I am. They (the children) had no part in this.”
“I had a good relationship with him. He kept to himself; he didn’t have many friends.”
- Forrest McFarland
Suspect’s mother ‘surprised’
Despite her son’s egregious act, Adriana Reyes told the Mail Ramos was not a “violent person” and was “surprised” by the horrific killing spree.
Speaking to the outlet from her mother’s bedside, Adriana admitted her son was a loner who “kept to himself and didn’t have many friends” but shot down claims she had a toxic relationship with him.
- Forrest McFarland
‘They think they know everything’
Rolando Reyes said his grandson was quiet but he would sometimes take him to work with him.
“Sometimes, I’d take him to work with me. Not all the time, but sometimes. This past year he didn’t go to school. He didn’t graduate. You would try to tell him, but kids nowadays they think they know everything,” the 74-year-old told ABC.
Reyes was out of the house on Tuesday when the teen shot his grandmother.
A neighbor called him to tell him his wife had been shot, but by the time he got back to the house, Ramos had escaped in his grandmother’s car.
- Forrest McFarland
Suspect’s grandfather comments
Ramos’ grandfather, Rolando Reyes, told ABC News that he had no idea that his grandson had purchased the weapons or that they were in his house.
Reyes, 74, who has a past felony conviction, cannot have firearms in his house, saying he would have turned his grandson in if he knew.
The 74-year-old said there were no signs the morning of the shooting that anything unusual was going to happen.
He revealed Ramos had a minor argument with his grandmother over the payment of a phone bill, but nothing significant.
- Forrest McFarland
Shooter’s friends say Ramos was bullied
A friend claimed that Ramos, 18, used to shoot people at random using a BB gun.
Others said he had an obsession with the video game Call of Duty and cut his own face with a knife just for fun.
Ramos was also bullied in school, according to his best friend in eighth grade Stephen Garcia.
- Forrest McFarland
Shooter’s friends say Ramos was bullied
A friend claimed that Ramos, 18, used to shoot people at random using a BB gun.
Others said he had an obsession with the video game Call of Duty and cut his own face with a knife just for fun.
Ramos was also bullied in school, according to his best friend in eighth grade Stephen Garcia.
- Forrest McFarland
Flags lowered to half-staff
President Biden has ordered US flags to be lowered to half-staff at the White House and around the nation until Saturday night, Craig Caplan reports.
“As a mark of respect for the victims of the senseless acts of violence perpetrated on May 24th by a gunman at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.”
- Forrest McFarland
Shooter spent about $4k on weapons
It has been estimated that the teen would have spent around $4,000 on his weapons, ammunition and tactical-style vest.
One of the weapons the gunman bought was an $1,870 Daniel Defense weapon which he reportedly posted a receipt for on Yubo.
- Forrest McFarland
President and VP to honor victims
The president and vice president are set to honor victims of mass shootings during their Memorial Day weekends, CNN reported.
Harris will attend Ruth Whitfield's funeral in Buffalo, and president Biden will be in Uvalde to honor the deceased students and teachers.
- Forrest McFarland
Federal agents instructed to not go into school
Federal agents were reportedly told by local law enforcement to not go into the school, NBCNews said.
After approximately 30 minutes, the agents went against their guidance and took down the shooter.
- Forrest McFarland
Ted Cruz speaks at the convention
Cruz said that "taking guns away from responsible Americans will not make them safer" at the convention.
- Forrest McFarland
'Best friend that law abiding gun owners have ever had'
Trump said that he was proud to be connected to "law abiding gun owners" and the NRA throughout his presidency.
Source: Read Full Article
