“Forgive me, forgive my son.” The parents of Salvador Ramos, the man who shot and killed 19 children and 2 teachers, have spoken out.
While speaking in her native language, Ramos’s mother, Adriana Martinez, told Televisa that she has “no words to say, I don’t know what he was thinking.”
She continued, “He had his reasons for doing what he did. Please don’t judge him. I only want the innocent children who died to forgive me.”
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While our attention should be on the victims of this horrific crime, it remains unclear, nearly one week after the horror at Robb Elementary School in Texas took place, why Ramos did what he did. If Martinez knows the specific reason for her son’s abhorrent actions, that has not been made public.
“What reasons could he have had,” a reporter followed up, The Guardian reported. Martinez replied as she cried, saying, “To get closer to those children instead of paying attention to the other bad things, I have no words. I don’t know.”
‘Forgive me, Forgive My Son’: Parents of the Man Who Killed 19 Children and 2 Teachers Speak Out
It’s unclear exactly what Martinez meant. In an interview with the Daily Beast, Ramos’s father, who is also named Salvador, said, “I just want the people to know I’m sorry, man, [for] what my son did. I never expected my son to do something like that.”
The apologetic father said his son “should’ve just killed me, you know, instead of doing something like that to someone.” Ramos also shot and gravely injured his grandmother. However, it is believed she survived although it was originally reported that she was one of the deceased.
Ramos’s father was at work when he learned of what his son did. “I’m never going to see my son again, just like they’re not going to see their kids. And that hurts me,” he told the Daily Beast.
As The Guardian reports, Ramos recently moved in with his grandparents after having issues with his mother. He dropped out of school and took a job at a fast food restaurant. He had just turned 18 on May 16.
His grandfather said he had no idea his grandson had just purchased two rifles after celebrating his birthday. If he did know, he says he “would’ve reported him. “I don’t like weapons – I cannot be around weapons. I’m against all that.”
Now, 21 families are reeling from Ramos’s actions. Here is Angel Garza, father of Amerie Garza, one of the students killed in that classroom.
“I don’t want people’s condolences. I don’t want to do none of this,” Garza said through his tears. “I just want my baby back, please.”
As Garza continued, “I just want to protect my baby girl. She just turned 10 two weeks ago. I just want to know what happened in her last moments. I want to know what she was doing. Why he did that to her? Why did she get shot? I just want to know what she did.”