International- Salvador Ramos, 42, the father of the
Texas school shooter, has spoken out about his son. - Ramos said he wished his son had killed him instead of attacking the school.
The father of the gunman who killed 21 people — including 19 children — at Robb Elementary School in Texas said his son should have killed him instead of attacking the school.
In an interview with The Daily Beast published Thursday, Salvador Ramos, 42, said he never expected his son, who shared his name, to do something so violent.
"I just want the people to know I'm sorry, man, for what my son did," Ramos told the outlet.
"I never expected my son to do something like that," he said, per The Daily Beast. "He should've just killed me, you know, instead of doing something like that to someone."
Per the outlet, Ramos said he was at work Tuesday when he found out his son had gone on a shooting spree at Robb Elementary. He then called the local jail to see whether his son was being held there.
It wasn't until later when he learned that his son, too, was dead, per The Daily Beast.
The younger Ramos was said to be killed by law-enforcement officers at the scene after barricading himself in a classroom and opening fire on the people within.
"They killed my baby, man," Ramos said, per The Daily Beast. "I'm never going to see my son again, just like they're not going to see their kids. And that hurts me."
Ramos also told the outlet he hadn't seen his son for a month after the 18-year-old cut off contact with him.
"My mom tells me he probably would have shot me too because he would always say I didn't love him," Ramos told The Daily Beast.
Ramos told the outlet he didn't know why his son had become so violent and said his son had "stuck to himself." He said he was speaking out because he wanted his "son's story out there."
"I don't want them calling him a monster," he said, per The Daily Beast. "They don't know anything he was going through."
According to The Washington Post, the gunman was described by others as having a troubled childhood and home life. He had also moved in with his grandmother, per the outlet.
Ramos' maternal grandfather told ABC News on Wednesday that he was not aware his grandson had weapons in the house. He said he would've reported his grandson to the authorities if he had known.