The mother of the Texas school shooter says he wasn't violent and largely kept to himself.
Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old high school dropout, was gunned down by police after shooting dead 21 people, including 19 children, inside a primary school in the Texas city of Uvalde on Tuesday (local time).
His mother, Adriana Reyes, told the Daily Mail her son "wasn't a violent person".
While her son had very few friends, she said he "kept to himself".
Reyes told the Mail said was surprised he carried out the horrific attack.
She said she was praying for the victims' families.
"I'm praying for all of those innocent children… they had no part in this," Reyes told the Mail.
In an interview with ABC News, Ramos' grandfather Rolando Reyes said he didn't know his grandson had any weapons.
Ramos purchased two rifles and 375 rounds of ammunition in March, according to authorities.
"If I'd have known, I would have reported it," Rolando Reyes told the ABC.
The Texas Department of Public Safety was investigating why Ramos targeted the school.
Tuesday's attack came 10 days after an avowed white supremacist shot 13 people at a supermarket in a mostly Black New York neighbourhood and has reignited a national debate over gun laws.
US President Joe Biden on Tuesday night called for new gun safety restrictions.
