ANNAPOLIS, MD—As a mark of respect for the victims of Tuesday’s shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden has ordered the U.S. Flag lowered to half-staff.  Governor Larry Hogan has also ordered the Maryland flag to be lowered.

The flags will return to full-staff at sunset on Saturday, May 28, 2022.

At least 19 children and two teachers were killed Tuesday when a gunman opened fire in a Texas elementary school, according to NBC News.

The suspected shooter was also killed when law enforcement confronted him at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, about 83 miles west of San Antonio, Texas Governor Greg Abbott said at a news conference.

“It is believed that he abandoned his vehicle, then entered into the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde with a handgun, and he may have also had a rifle,” Abbott said. “He shot and killed, horrifically and incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher.”

The suspected shooter has been identified as 18-year-old Salvador Rolando Ramos.

Governor Larry Hogan has issued the following statement:

Another unspeakable tragedy has left families grieving, a community reeling, and a country desperately seeking answers.

Schools should never be a place of fear. No mom or dad should ever have to worry when they send their kids off to school whether they’ll come home safely.

Our state security team—including the Maryland State Police and the Maryland Department of Emergency Management—has offered its full support and assistance to state and local officials in Texas.

I ask all Marylanders to keep the victims, their families, and the people of Uvalde in your prayers.

Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski also issued a statement:

As the father of an elementary school student, I am horrified and outraged by this mass shooting.

As we grieve with the families of the victims, we join countless people across the world — and especially in the United States — calling for solutions now to end gun violence in our communities and ensure our schools are safe.