Fact check: Texas shooting suspect Salvador Ramos was killed by a Border Patrol tactical team

Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY
·4 min read
Fact check roundup: What's true and what's false about the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas

The claim: An off-duty Border Patrol agent killed the Texas school shooting suspect

After an 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killing 19 children and two adults, some social media posts claim an off-duty Border Patrol agent took down the suspect.

"The man that killed the school shooter in Texas wasn't even an on duty officer!!" reads a Facebook post shared May 28. "It was a parent and spouse of a 4th grade teacher, he just happened to be a border patrol agent...That mans name is Jacob Albarado and he is the true hero in this story."

The post includes four images of Albarado and a purported backstory that he received a text from his wife that there was an active shooter at the school while he was getting a haircut. He then "rushed to the school" and "evacuated his wife and daughter and went back in and shot the suspect," the post claims.

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The post generated over 137,000 shares and 30,000 interactions in less than a week. Similar posts have amassed thousands more interactions on Facebook and Instagram.

But the claim is false.

Albarado told USA TODAY he never shot Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old Texas shooting suspect. He only evacuated children at the site of the shooting.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media users who shared the claim for comment.

Tactical team shot Ramos

A Border Patrol tactical team killed the suspect, according to Lt. Christopher Olivarez, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Albarado told USA TODAY he was not part of the tactical team that shot Ramos. He did learn of the shooting from a text while getting a haircut, but much of the remaining narrative in the Facebook post is wrong.

When he first arrived at Robb Elementary School, Albarado said he coordinated with officers outside the building to evacuate as many kids as possible. Two officers provided cover for him with guns drawn as he helped children climb out windows.

Albarado said he also moved towards the wing of the school that contained his second grade daughter Jayda's classroom to guide children to safety as they evacuated through a door, but he never physically went inside the school building.

Fact check: Image of transgender woman falsely identified as Texas shooting suspect Salvador Ramos

"All the officers have all their gear and they had radio communication, and I didn't have any of my gear," Albarado said. "I can't go in there when I can't communicate with people and shots are being fired."

During this time, he said he received a text from his wife that she made it safely to a funeral home across the street. Albarado also saw his daughter among the crowd of kids he helped evacuate, according to TODAY.

USA TODAY reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for additional comment.

Our rating: False

Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that an off-duty Border Patrol agent killed the Texas school shooting suspect. Albarado was not part of the tactical team that shot Ramos. He helped children evacuate from the building, but he never went inside the school.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Salvador Ramos killed by Border Patrol tactical team