Flags at half-staff in Ohio and U.S. for Uvalde shooting victims

Chris Pugh, The Columbus Dispatch
·2 min read
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President Joe Biden ordered that all U.S. flags be flown at half-staff through May 28 to honor the victims of a school shooting Tuesday at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

In addition, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered that U.S. and State of Ohio flags be flown at half-staff to honor shooting victims.

An 18-year-old man, armed with a rifle, shot his grandmother before driving to the school and overpowering a school officer, according to Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Erick Estrada.

Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said. A U.S. Border Protection agent, one of several responding to the scene, shot and killed the gunman, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told USA TODAY on Tuesday night.

“To lose a child is like having a piece of your soul ripped away,” Biden said.

Here's what we know about why and when American flags are flown at half-staff.

Flags are shown at half-staff Wednesday morning near at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.
Flags are shown at half-staff Wednesday morning near at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

What time are flags displayed at half-staff?

Customs call for flags to be shown at half-staff from sunrise to sunset unless the flag can be illuminated overnight.

Holidays where the flag is half-staff around the country

May 15 - Peace Officers Memorial Day (half-staff all day)

Last Monday in May - Memorial Day (half-staff until noon)

Sept. 11 - Patriot Day (half-staff all day)

First Sunday in October - Fallen Fighters Fallen Firefighters (half-staff all day)

Dec. 7 - Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (half-staff all day)

Courtesy of aflag.com and halfstaffalert.org.

What's the difference between half-mast and half-staff?

According to The Sextant, the Naval History and Heritage Command’s blog, half-mast refers to lowered flags on a ship, while half-staff is a pole in the ground. But the blog continues to say half-mast is used outside the U.S.

USA TODAY contributed to this story.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Biden honors Texas school shooting victims with half-staff flags