People rush to donate blood amid Texas shortage after elementary school mass shooting

• Texans rushed to donate blood in the aftermath of a deadly elementary school shooting on Tuesday.
• The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center is seeking more donations from the public amid the crisis.

Texans looking to do their part following a Tuesday elementary school mass shooting rushed to local blood banks to donate critical supply amid a statewide shortage, according to local reports.

A gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School in the small town of Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday afternoon, leaving at least 22 people dead, including 19 children.

Amid the heartbreak and chaos, community members gathered to help how they could. KSAT 12 reporter Patty Santos reported from a local Uvalde blood bank on Tuesday afternoon that was packed with eager donors.

"All of the beds here are filled," Santos said from the center. "There is a line at the door ... people just wanting to do something to be able to help this community."

"These are the folks that responded," she added. "They headed out, right after work some of them, they're still in their work uniforms. They just wanted to help."

The South Texas Blood and Tissue Center also rushed to respond to the tragedy, which is the deadliest K-12 school shooting since Sandy Hook.

The center said in a Tuesday statement that it was able to send the Uvalde community 25 units of blood immediately following the shooting. But as the holiday weekend approached, the center said it had only 26 units left and was seeking additional donations from the public.

"This tragedy highlights the importance of always having blood available on the shelf and before it's needed," the center said in a statement.

KSAT 12 reported that the crisis comes as Texas and the nation were already battling a months-long blood shortage.

Several local medical facilities have already scheduled emergency blood drives in the coming days. The Texas Tribune compiled a list of places where people can donate.