Adriana Reyes has admitted her son could be aggressive and she 'had an uneasy feeling sometimes'. Photo / Supplied
Adriana Reyes has admitted her son could be aggressive and she 'had an uneasy feeling sometimes'. Photo / Supplied
The mother of the 18-year-old shooter who killed 19 children and two teachers at a Texas primary school has said that her son sometimes gave her an "uneasy feeling".
The attack was the second-deadliest school shooting in the US after the 2012 Sandy Hook attack, where 20 children aged 6 and 7 and six educators were killed.
After shooting his grandma – who remains hospitalised and in a stable condition – Ramos descended on Robb Elementary School in Uvalde armed with two automatic rifles.
Speaking to US ABC News, Salvador Ramos' mother, Adriana Reyes, admitted her son could be aggressive.
"I had an uneasy feeling sometimes, like, 'what are you up to?" she said.
Describing her son's anger, she said: "We all have a rage ... some people have it more than others."
Salvador Ramos. Photo / Instagram
Previously, Reyes told the Daily Mail her son "wasn't a violent person". Despite this, she admitted her son was a bit of an outsider, who "kept to himself" and "didn't have many friends".
"I pray for those families. I'm praying for all of those innocent children, yes I am. They [the children] had no part in this," she said.
Town rallies around shooter's mum
In a display of community spirit, it appears some members of the 1600-strong town of Uvalde have attempted to support Ramos' mum since the event.
Adriana Reyes has admitted her son could be aggressive and "I had an uneasy feeling sometimes, like, 'what are you up to?'" Photo / Supplied
Speaking to local publication the Texas Tribune, a church community leader attempted to console Reyes, who attends the Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
"We are with her because we have to pray instead of criticising or attacking," Fatima Abraham told reporters in Spanish. "Turning into hate and resentment is not good for humanity.
"I simply told her that we were with her, that not everyone here was against her.
"She has to know that she is not to blame for this. She didn't put that gun in her son's hand."
On Wednesday, residents in the south Texas town honoured the victims. About 1000 people attended a vigil at the Uvalde County Fairplex.
Shooter bullied, harassed girls on the internet
According to people who had known Ramos through school, the gunman was bullied and considered to be an outsider.
A friend of Ramos, Stephen Garcia, said he was targeted for having a lisp at junior high school.
"He would get bullied hard, like bullied by a lot of people," Garcia said.
"Over social media, over gaming, over everything."
The teen was also attacked with gay slurs after he wore eyeliner in a photo. Garcia said he began skipping school and spiralling after that incident.
"He just started being a different person. He kept getting worse and worse," Garcia said.
Another boy who had known Ramos since primary school, Santos Valdez Jr, told The Washington Post the killer once cut up his face with knives "for fun".
Online, it appeared Ramos interacted with several women he would meet on social media apps like Instagram and Yubo – an app aimed at a younger teen demographic that lets users livestream, play games and instant message.
Elena Mendoza, 18, grieves in front of a cross honouring her cousin, Amerie Jo Garza, one of the victims killed in the elementary school shooting in Texas. Photo / AP
One of the girls who encountered Ramos on Yubo said he would allegedly harass female users online.
"He would be active every day and join our lives, repeating girls' names until they paid attention to him," the teenager told The Sun.
She said Ramos often compared himself to the convicted murderer who was portrayed on the Netflix show, Don't F**k With Cats.
The true-crime docuseries follows a group of internet sleuths who launched a manhunt for Canadian actor Luka Magnotta in 2010.
Currently servicing a life sentence at a Quebec prison, Magnotta gained online infamy when he shared a video of himself killing two kittens. He is also responsible for the 2012 murder of a Chinese international student, Jun Lin.
Speaking about Ramos' interest in Magnotta, the Yubo user said the Texas teen "wanted his name out there like that".
