Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Salvador Ramos: Fourth-grade survivor reveals Texas shooter’s chilling words before killing classmates

‘He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, ‘It’s time to die,’’ the anonymous student recalls

Nathan Place
New York
Thursday 26 May 2022 12:47 EDT
Comments
'It's time to die': Child survivor describes Texas gunman's words before killing classmates

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A child who survived the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas has shared the harrowing details of what happened when the gunman walked into his classroom.

“He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, ‘It’s time to die,’” the anonymous fourth-grade boy told KENS5.

On Tuesday, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School. Authorities say the suspected shooter, Salvador Ramos, 18, also died after being shot by police.

On Wednesday, the unnamed fourth-grader – whose parents hid his identity for his safety – recalled hiding under a table with a long tablecloth, which may have concealed him from the gunman and saved his life.

“When I heard the shooting through the door, I told my friend to hide under something so he won’t find us,” the boy told the news station. “I was hiding hard. And I was telling my friend to not talk because he is going to hear us.”

The horrifying details come as Americans grapple with yet another mass shooting, this time the deadliest school massacre since 2012, when 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

Even after police came, the child recalled, he and his classmates were still not safe. In fact, the killing continued.

“When the cops came, the cop said, ‘Yell if you need help!’” he said. “And one of the persons in my class said ‘Help.’ The guy overheard and he came in and shot her.”

At that point, the massacre finally met its bloody conclusion.

“The cop barged into that classroom,” the fourth-grader remembered. “The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.”

Governor Greg Abbott has said three police officers were wounded in the standoff, but are now recovering. Ramos was killed at the scene.

Meanwhile, children like the boy who spoke to KENS5 are left with the trauma of watching their classmates die.

“I would like to say to every kid and parent to be safe,” he said.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in