Granddad of Texas shooter Salvador Ramos insists he had no idea teen had guns
The grandfather of the gunman who slaughtered 19 students and two teachers at a Texas elementary school told The Post he didn’t know his grandson bought two AR-style rifles prior to the massacre — as the first photos of the deranged shooter’s grandmother surfaced Wednesday.
Rolando Reyes, 74, told The Post Wednesday afternoon he wasn’t aware how Salvador Ramos, 18, acquired the weapons used in Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Reyes said the attack erupted following a dispute between Salvador and his grandmother, Celia Martinez Gonzales, at the home where the three lived together on Diaz Street.
“She didn’t have no altercation with him, she kept to herself,” Reyes told The Post. “She wanted him to get his own phone.”
Asked whether he believed his grandson had plotted out the school massacre in advance, Reyes said he was unsure.
“I don’t know,” Reyes continued. “I can’t say whether he was planning to do this or not. That’s a question that’s going to haunt me for the rest of my life.”
Reyes spoke while driving to a hospital in San Antonio to see his 66-year-old wife, who was conscious earlier in the day, he said.
“She was awake this morning, they took her in to do some kind of procedure,” Reyes said of Celia. “She could be stable, I don’t know. She lost a lot of blood.”
Authorities said Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother early Tuesday before fleeing the scene. Neighbors told The Post he then stole his grandmother’s truck and crashed it into a nearby ditch before going into the school and opening fire.
University Health in San Antonio tweeted early Wednesday that a 66-year-old woman was listed in serious condition.
Reyes, meanwhile, said he wasn’t a fan of guns and questioned how his grandson managed to acquire them.
“They don’t let you buy beer until 21, but they let you buy guns at 18,” he said. “I despise weapons.”
Earlier Wednesday, Reyes told ABC News he couldn’t “be around” guns due to a prior felony conviction.
“I didn’t know he had weapons,” Reyes told the network. “If I would have known, I would have reported him.”
Authorities have confirmed Ramos bought the weapons used in the ruthless attack just days after turning 18 last week.
He then bragged about them on social media — posting images of two AR-style rifles along with chilling hints at his plans for violence.
Officials earlier Wednesday confirmed that Ramos had legally bought his weapons just days after turning 18 on Monday last week.
Insisting that they had no idea about the weapons under their roof, Reyes instead painted a mundane portrait of his grandson’s landmark birthday — saying the teen’s grandmother took him to Applebee’s as a treat.
He insisted the first he knew his grandson was involved was when a neighbor called to say that the 18-year-old gunman had shot his grandmother and fled in a vehicle.
“It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” he told ABC News.
Ramos lived with his grandparents because he “had problems” with his mother, Reyes told the network without elaborating.
“He was very quiet,” Reyes said. “He didn’t talk very much.”
Ramos wasn’t attending school at the time, but it’s unclear why, his grandfather said.
“He didn’t graduate, but he didn’t go to school,” Reyes told ABC News. “Kids nowadays, they think they know everything.”
