All of the Uvalde school shooting victims were in the same 4th grade classroom

Caption

Law enforcement work the scene on Tuesday after a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. / Getty Images

Editor's Note: This story contains details that readers may find disturbing.

The 19 students and two teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, shooting were all in the same fourth grade classroom, Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN on Wednesday.

He also told NBC's Today that first responders broke the school's windows in an effort to help students and teachers escape, the Associated Press reports.

"The shooter was able to make entry into a classroom, barricaded himself inside that classroom, and again just began shooting numerous children and teachers that were in that classroom, having no regard for human life. Just a complete evil person," Olivarez said. "Just began shooting anyone that was in his way. At that point we had a tactical law enforcement team arrive — made up of multiple federal officers, local officers, as well as state troopers — that were able to able to make forcible entry into that classroom. They were met with gunfire as well but they were able to shoot and kill that suspect."

Olivarez told CNN that multiple children were wounded inside the classroom, but the exact number is not yet clear. The victims have been identified and their families notified, he added.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.