May 25 Texas shooting news

Ten-year-old Xavier Lopez has been identified as one of the victims killed at Robb Elementary School, his mother Felicha Martinez confirmed to the Washington Post.

“He was funny, never serious and his smile,” Martinez said about the fourth grader, her voice breaking. “That smile I will never forget. It would always cheer anyone up.”

Just a few days shy of completing his last year of elementary school, Xavier was counting the days until he would officially move up the academic ladder into Flores Middle School in Uvalde.

His dreams seemed so close on Tuesday at Robb Elementary School’s honor roll ceremony. Martinez was there to cheer him on as Xavier’s name was called to receive his certificate. Mere hours before the tragedy, Martinez snapped a photo of Xavier.

She told him she was proud and that she loved him before hugging him goodbye. She said she did not imagine that would be the last moment she would share with her “mama’s boy.”

The father of one of the children killed in Tuesday's school shooting has identified his daughter as 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza.

Angel Garza said on Facebook early Wednesday morning that his daughter had been killed in the shooting at her elementary school.

"Thank you everyone for the prayers and help trying to find my baby. She’s been found. My little love is now flying high with the angels above. Please don’t take a second for granted. Hug your family. Tell them you love them. I love you Amerie jo. Watch over your baby brother for me," said the father.

The post came hours after Angel's original post asking for help in finding the girl in the wake of the shooting. "I don’t ask for much or hardly even post on here but please It’s been 7 hours and I still haven’t heard anything on my love. 💔 Please fb help me find my daughter."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised for more than a year to have a vote on two House-passed bills to expand background checks on gun sales — but he has been reluctant to force a vote on the issue knowing that they will fail, even as he has set up failed votes on other issues, like abortion and voting rights, before.

The bills are likely to get less than 50 votes — much less the 60 votes to overcome a filibuster.

It’s unclear when Schumer will try to force a procedural vote to break a filibuster. Unless there’s an agreement from all 100 senators, the earliest he could set up the procedural vote would be Saturday, according to a Democratic aide.

But senators were expected to leave for next week’s Memorial Day recess on Thursday afternoon. So they may wait until after the recess to take that procedural vote, even though leaving town amid the Texas tragedy would be bad optics. 

The aide said Schumer has not indicated when he may try to force the vote yet.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences over the Texas elementary school shooting, calling it “a cowardly attack.”

Pope Francis expressed his condolences over the Texas school shooting tragedy and sent his prayers to the victims and their families during today’s morning weekly audience. 

The Pope also called for stronger gun controls and commitment so that “such tragedies can never happen again.”

Other European leaders, including the prime ministers of Slovakia, Ireland and Finland, are also sending their condolences today.

Meanwhile, Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin called the shooting “an appalling and shocking tragedy” and offered his “heartfelt sympathies” to families of the victims.

 Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin also sent her thoughts to the families of the victims.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez separately expressed their condolences over the Texas school shooting.

Spanish Prime Minister Sanchez shared on Twitter a video of the emotional speech given by Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr.

Some context:  Before Tuesday’s game in Dallas, Kerr told reporters "basketball questions don't matter" right now, referring to the mass shooting, adding, "When are we going to do something?"

The nation faced yet another horror on Tuesday after a lone 18-year-old gunman entered an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, with two assault rifles and killed at least 19 children and two adults, snatching the lives of innocent elementary school students before he was killed by law enforcement.

It was a chilling reminder of how little progress America's leaders have made in stemming the tide of gun violence since the 2012 massacre of 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

It was also the second mass shooting in less than two weeks after a different 18-year-old gunman trafficking in White supremacist theories killed 10 Black Americans in Buffalo.

In a nation where mass shootings are now a weekly, and sometimes a daily occurrence, the flags at the White House and across the country were lowered to half-staff by the time President Joe Biden returned home from a trip to Asia to address a grieving nation.

It was a role he has filled too many times.

Read the full analysis:

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed condolences to family members and relatives of children who were killed in the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday

Zelensky further acknowledged 21 people had been killed, including 19 children, adding “this is terrible to have victims of shooters in peaceful time.”

Eva Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher, was killed Tuesday in the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, her aunt told CNN.

Although authorities haven’t publicly identified any of the victims, Lydia Martinez Delgado said her niece was killed.

Delgado also gave a statement to CNN affiliate KSAT.

According to Mireles’ profile on the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District website, she had been an educator for 17 years.

In her off time, she enjoyed running, hiking, biking, and spending time with her family, according to the website.