ET: This article was updated with a comment from a Reddit user contacted by Newsweek.A top aide to the Indonesian president is playing down expectations that U.S. ET: A reference to a gun purchase made "illegally" was corrected to "legally". Newsweek recently investigated misleading claims that followed the shooting in Buffalo, NY, earlier this month, which suggested the suspect Payton Gendron was ideologically linked to far-right elements of the Ukrainian national guard.Ĭorrection, 5/26/22, 3:15 A.M. The spread of misinformation and speculative claims is a common phenomenon accompanying previous mass shootings in the U.S. The fact that Ramos is said to have purchased the weapons legally, that undocumented immigrants are banned from possessing guns and that Ramos is said to be from from North Dakota, according to officials, all give a strong indication that he was not an undocumented immigrant, nor that he crossed the border from Mexico illegally.
specifically bans the possession of guns by undocumented immigrants.
While handguns can normally only be bought by people aged 21 or older, a 2021 amendment to the Texas Government Code allows people who are 18 years old to be eligible for a handgun license, if they meet all other requirements except the minimum age under federal law, and are under protective orders related to family violence. Texas legislation allows people who are 18 years old or older to to legally purchase long guns, including shotguns and rifles. Newsweek has contacted Gutierrez for comment. Gutierrez nevertheless also confirmed that Ramos had bought the weapons to carry out the shooting from a "licensed brick and mortar facility here in Uvalde" on his 18th birthday, the first day he could do so legally. So far no direct evidence has emerged to confirm those claims. citizen, as some Twitter users have claimed. He also did not explicitly state whether the suspect was born in North Dakota or was a U.S. In an interview with CNBC, Democratic State Senator Roland Gutierrez said that Ramos had moved to Uvalde from North Dakota, although he didn't know when that happened. However there is no verified information to support the claim that Ramos was an undocumented immigrant. This speculation may be derived from Uvalde's location, which is less than 70 miles from the Mexican border. God help us?? - Code of Vets ™ May 24, 2022 Did he cross the border illegally? Our nation has a serious national security crisis evolving. The killer was Salvador Ramos 18 years old. Pray for the victims, families and community. Similarly, others have been quick to suggest that Ramos may have been an undocumented immigrant. The very fact that social media posts were made within hours of the shooting, some of which evidently used photos appropriated from elsewhere, demonstrates just how unreliable these "hot off the press" responses are, and how tragic events can be weaponized to fuel false narratives and hate speech. However, the report does not state or even suggest Ramos was transgender- there is no verifiable evidence elsewhere to support this either. They also claim he posted a photo of himself wearing black eyeliner "which brought on a slew of comments using a derogatory term for a gay person." The Washington Postclaims to have spoken to former classmates of Ramos who told the paper he was bullied for having a stutter and a strong lisp. 4ch seems to be the source of the trans rumor. No one has provided a source other than “trust me bro it’s him” this person doesn’t look like Salvador Ramos anyways face or hair. Searches for this account appear to show other tweets seemingly congratulating "animebuche" since their post was quoted on InfoWars.Īnother user, anirbatS (whose account is also private) claimed that "animebuche" appropriated one of their photos as well. Other searches suggest some of the photos may have spread from a now private Twitter account, "animebuche". The user responded to a Newsweek comment request, stating "While I'm annoyed that this happened to me and other trans people, right now I hope the families affected by the attack have enough support." Ted Cruz Angrily Walks Away From Interviewer When Gun Control Is Brought UpĪ catalog of Apprehensive_Ad_995's posts preceding the shooting can be found here, including one of the photos shared on social media.
Adriana Reyes, Uvalde Shooter's Mom, Insists They Had a Good Relationship.