UVALDE, TEXAS (Reuters): The 19 children and two teachers massacred at a South Texas elementary school were in a single fourth-grade classroom where the gunman barricaded himself, authorities said on Wednesday as the deadliest school shooting in a nearly a decade reignited debate over America’s gun laws.

Police circled Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas breaking windows in an effort to evacuate children and staff, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Chris Olivarez told CNN. Officers eventually breached the classroom and killed the gunman, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.

Texas school killing, deadliest in a decade, prompts Biden call for action