Gunman in Uvalde school shooting was not an immigrant illegally in the country
Viral Facebook post: The Uvalde, Texas, mass shooter was an “illegal alien.”
PolitiFact's ruling: False
Here's why: In the aftermath of a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, social media posts falsely claimed that the gunman was an immigrant illegally in the U.S., and got his name wrong.
"Illegal Alien Salvatore Ramos, 18 years old, shot & killed 14 students & 1 teacher in Uvalde, Texas," said one May 24 post.
It was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
Police identified the shooter as Salvador Ramos. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Ramos was a U.S. citizen. (Abbott’s comment came at the 13-minute mark in this video of a May 24 news conference.)
Early reporting indicated that 14 students and one teacher died in the shooting, but those numbers were later updated to 19 students and two teachers. Ramos was shot and killed at the school by law enforcement.
We rate the claim that Ramos was illegally in the country False.
Our Sources
CNN, "Parents waited late into the night for dead children to be identified after Texas elementary school massacre," May 25, 2022
Facebook post, May 24, 2022
YouTube, "Texas Gov. Abbott holds news briefing following mass shooting at Uvalde elementary school," May 24, 2022
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Fact-check: Was Uvalde school shooter a US citizen?
