Anonymous donor pledges $175,000 for funeral costs for Robb Elementary School shooting victims

An anonymous donor has provided $175,000 to cover funeral expenses for those killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting.

“We appreciate that anonymous donor for his generosity,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “And we will ensure that those resources get into the right hands.”

The close-knit community of Uvalde, a city of about 16,000 not far from the Texas border, is still reeling, days after a mass shooting claimed the lives of 21 students and teachers. Police said the alleged gunman, Salvador Ramos, shot his grandmother inside their home on Tuesday and then sped off in a truck, which ultimately crashed not far from the primary school.

A family pays their respects next to crosses bearing the names of Tuesday's shooting victims at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (Jae C. Hong/)

Once inside the building, the 18-year-old suspect barricaded himself inside a classroom and unleashed a hail of gunfire. He fired off more than 100 rounds during the course of the violent attack, which lasted more than an hour, Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday.

Two teachers and nineteen students were fatally struck before responding agents with Customs and Border Control shot and killed Ramos.

“No family who is suffering from incalculable heartbreak at this time will have to worry about a single cost with regard to anything concerning this travesty,” Abbott said.

The Republican governor during a press conference on Friday also outlined a series of mental health resource for those affected by the shooting, the deadliest at a school in the U.S. since the massacre at Sandy Hook in 2012. He mentioned a 24/7 hotline for those worried about mental health and also pointed to the Family Assistance Center, which will provide “information, support, and resources to those directly affected by the Robb Elementary School tragedy.”

Twenty-one empty chairs are seen outside of a day care center as a memorial for the victims killed earlier in the week in the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. (Dario Lopez-Mills/)

Abbott added that anyone looking to help can make a donation and show their support through a one-stop webpage created by the OneStar Foundation.

“Everyone in Uvalde has been profoundly impacted by this tragedy and is overwhelmed with deep grief and bewilderment, and as such, both state and private providers are coming together to offer assistance to everyone in the community,” he said in a statement.

“Texas will not abandon those needing help during this time, and we will ensure the resources needed by those in mourning and healing will be easily accessible and readily available.”