At least 15 people are dead after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, a town of around 16,000 people 83 miles west of San Antonio.

Here's what we know so far.

• Of the dead, 14 were students and one was a teacher
• The suspect was an 18-year-old male who lived in the Uvalde area named Salvador Ramos. He is dead, and is thought to have been killed by police
• The pupils at the school were in second, third, and fourth grades, meaning they were between the ages of 7 and 10
• At least two people are in a critical condition - a 10-year-old girl and a 66-year-old woman
• Two police officers were wounded in an exchange of gunfire with the suspect, but were not seriously hurt
• The shooter's motive remains unclear
• US President Joe Biden is expected to speak about the incident tonight

Image source, Getty Images

US President Joe Biden has ordered the US flag to be flown at half-mast until sunset on Saturday 28 May following the mass shooting.

In a statement, he ordered US flags across all public buildings and grounds, military posts and naval stations, and all naval vessels to be flown at half mast, as well as flags at embassies, consular offices and military and naval facilities in the US and abroad.

We're expected to hear from President Biden soon.

In response to the shooting in Uvalde, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says the solution may be arming teachers.

Speaking to conservative news outlet Newsmax, Paxton said that "having potentially teachers and other administrators be armed" would help stop future attacks while authorities arrived.

"First responders typically can't get there in time to prevent a shooting. It's just not possible unless you have a police officer on every campus," he said. "I think you're going to have to do more at the school."

Governor Greg Abbott says he and his wife Cecilia are mourning Tuesday's "horrific loss" and have urged the state of Texas to come together.

He also thanked the "courageous first responders" who worked to "secure the site" of the shooting.

The city of 16,000 people is around 83 miles west of San Antonio.

Many children have been taken to the nearby Willie DeLeon Civic Center to be reunited with their families. There's a sign outside telling parents and carers which classes are where.

Image source, Reuters

US President Joe Biden has been briefed on the school shooting in Texas and will speak about it this evening when he arrives back at the White House, according to his press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

In a tweet, Ms Jean-Pierre wrote that "his prayers are with the families impacted by this awful event".

Image source, Getty Images

Gun deaths are now the leading cause of death for US children and teenagers, overtaking car crashes, according to research released in April.

In 2020 - the last year for which complete figures are available - 4,300 young Americans died of firearms-related injuries.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, , externalthe overall rate of gun deaths of all kinds - including suicides, murders, and accidents - rose by 29.5%, twice that of the wider population.

Gun violence in the US has steadily increased since the Covid-19 pandemic began in early 2020.

Read more about the impact of guns on young Americans here.

In 2012, in Sandy Hook, Connecticut, 20 children and six adults died when a gunman rampaged through a primary school.

And Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut has just given an emotional speech in the Senate.

Some more now from the brief news conference held by local police chief Pete Arredondo.

He said that Robb Elementary School, the site of the "mass casualty event", is attended by children who are in second, third, and fourth grades.

That means its pupils range between 7 and 10 years of age.

In addition to the 15 confirmed deaths, police said there were an unspecified number of injuries.

We are getting more information now on those injuries - they include a 66-year-old woman and a 10-year-old girl who are in critical condition at San Antonio's University Hospital.

We're hearing from Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde schools chief of police, who is giving a news conference.

He says the mass casualty event occurred at Robb Elementary School at about 11:32 this morning.

He confirmed the suspect, described as acting alone, is now dead.

In addition to the confirmed deaths, a number of people have been injured - but he did not specify how many.

The shooting in Uvalde is one of several mass shootings to have taken place across the US in May.

A US non-profit group, the Gun Violence Archive, defines mass shootings as those in which four people or more were wounded or killed.

The organisation has recorded 215 such shootings so far this year to the middle of May, including nine in which more than four people were killed.

Here are just some of the incidents from this month:

May 13: Sixteen people were wounded by gunfire in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Five men were arrested after being treated for gunshot wounds

May 14: 10 people were killed and three wounded in Buffalo, New York, in a racially motivated attack. The shooter was arrested

May 15: One person was killed and four were wounded in a shooting at a Taiwanese church in Laguna Woods, California

May 15: Two men were killed and three wounded at a shooting in a flea market in Houston, Texas. The shooting reportedly was caused by a fight among the five men

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has named the suspect as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old male.

According to Abbott, Ramos abandoned his vehicle and went into the school armed with a pistol and possibly a rifle.

"He shot and killed horrifically, incomprehensibly, 14 students and killed a teacher," Abbott said.

Ramos is dead - it's thought he was killed by police who were sent to the scene.

The message was posted three hours ago:

The Robb Elementary School, external is in Uvalde – around 83 miles (133km) west of the city of San Antonio, in Texas. It's a primary school - its pupils range in age from five to 11.

A message on its website currently reads: "Robb Elementary Parents, please do not pick up students at this time.

"Students need to be accounted for before they are released to your care. You will be notified to pick up students once all are accounted for."

Fourteen students and one teacher are dead following a shooting at an elementary school in Texas.

According to Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the gunman was an 18-year-old male who lived in the area. The shooting took place in the town of Uvalde, about 83 miles (133km) from San Antonio, America's seventh largest city.

Mr Abbott said that the shooter used a handgun and possibly a rifle during the shooting, although that is not yet confirmed.

He was shot dead, it's thought by police. Two officers were also hit during the exchange of gunfire but were not seriously injured.

A news conference with more details is expected shortly. Stay here for all the details.