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Texas shooter’s father: ‘He should’ve just killed me instead’

The father of the Texas gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers has apologised for his 18-year-old son and said he should have killed him instead.

Texas shooter's chilling messages to 15-year-old girl minutes before attack

The father of the Texas gunman who massacred 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday apologised for his 18-year-old son and said the teen should have killed him instead.

The gunman’s 42-year-old father, Salvador Ramos, opened up about his son, also Salvador, in a Thursday interview with the Daily Beast.

The elder Ramos said he is “sorry [for] what my son did.”

“I never expected my son to do something like that,” the father said. “He should’ve just killed me, you know, instead of doing something like that to someone.”

The younger Ramos shot his 66-year-old grandmother in the face before he stormed into the Uvalde school “unobstructed” and shot dead 21 people inside of a fourth grade classroom in what was one of the deadliest mass shootings in Texas history.

The gunman was killed at the scene by responding law enforcement officers.

The father told the Daily Beast he had not been in his son’s life much as of late due to his job away from Uvalde.

He said he had also been away from his son due to the pandemic as he did not want to expose his own mother — who is suffering from cancer — to the virus. The COVID-19 restrictions strained the two’s relationship, with his son refusing to speak to him about a month ago.

The two hadn’t seen each other since, he said.

Despite the deaths and pain his son has caused, Ramos maintained that his son “was a good person.”

“He was a quiet person, stuck to himself. He didn’t bother nobody. People were always bothering him,” the father said.

Salvador Ramos’ father, also named Salvador, told the Daily Beast that he had not seen his son much due to his work away from Uvalde.
Salvador Ramos’ father, also named Salvador, told the Daily Beast that he had not seen his son much due to his work away from Uvalde.
Adriana Reyes, Mother of Texas shooter Salvador Ramos. Picture: Facebook
Adriana Reyes, Mother of Texas shooter Salvador Ramos. Picture: Facebook

The elder Ramos added that his son dropped out of high school because he said he was bullied over his clothes.

Friends and relatives have said Ramos had been bullied throughout middle school and junior high for a speech impediment – a stutter and lisp.

The 18-year-old reportedly had a volatile relationship with his mother, Adriana Reyes, who allegedly struggled with drug use and had kicked her troubled son out of her home.

Members of the community gather at a vigil for the 21 people killed at Robb Elementary School.
Members of the community gather at a vigil for the 21 people killed at Robb Elementary School.

She denied they had such a relationship, despite Ramos’ grandfather telling ABC News earlier that the teen was living with him and his wife because he “had problems” with her.

Reyes has insisted that her son “wasn’t a violent person” — even though she was “uneasy” about his “rage,” she told ABC News.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Original URL: https://www.news.com.au/world/north-america/texas-shooters-father-he-shouldve-just-killed-me-instead/news-story/3c061da1e125b9f61c76b69dba11d1bd