'This is on you.' Beto confronts Abbott, Cruz at Uvalde school shooting press conference

Less than one day after a massacre, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke confronted Gov. Greg Abbott on his gun record and then got into a heated exchange with officials gathered for a news conference before law enforcement ordered O'Rourke to leave.

On Tuesday, May 25, an 18-year-old gunman identified as Salvador Ramos by officials entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas and opened fire, killing at least 19 students and two teachers with a legally-purchased AR-15. Ramos was killed by police when they arrived on the scene.

What we know: Some victims of the Robb Elementary shooting have been identified

Abbott, who has long been condemned by the left for his gun policy record, held a press conference at Uvalde High School to address the violence that occurred on Tuesday. Other officials on stage at the press conference included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz.

After Abbott's initial remarks, O'Rourke approached the stage and addressed officials gathered to speak.

"This is on you. Until you choose to do something different, this will continue to happen," O'Rourke said to Abbott. "Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday."

How you can help: Blood drives, GoFundMe page set up for victims of Texas school shooting

Shouts from others on stage and in the audience could be heard condemning O'Rourke for interrupting Abbott. Law enforcement escorted O'Rourke out of the auditorium.

O'Rourke is running for governor against Abbott in November.

Grace Griffin is a digital producer for the USA TODAY Network. She can be reached at ggriffin@gannett.com or on Twitter @GraceMGriffin.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Beto O'Rourke confronts Abbott, Cruz at Uvalde press conference