Uvalde school shooter's grandmother may never be able to speak again after he shot her in the face, relative says

• The grandmother of the Texas school shooter is lucky to be alive, a relative told The New York Post.
• The gunman shot his grandmother in the face before he attacked Robb Elementary School.

The Texas school shooter's first victim, his own grandmother whom he shot in the face, may never be able to talk again, a relative told The New York Post.

The 18-year-old gunman lived with his grandmother in Uvalde, Texas. He shot her on May 24 shortly before he drove to Robb Elementary School, barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom, and opened fire. He killed 19 children and two adults before he was shot dead by US Border Patrol agents.

His grandmother, Celia "Sally" Martinez Gonzales, is lucky to be alive, her second cousin, Jason Ybarra, told the Post.

"The bullet went into Sally's jaw just next to her mouth and shattered all her teeth," Ybarra said. "If the bullet was an inch in another direction, it would have blown her head off."

Ybarra told the Post that Gonzales was recovering well in the hospital, but that she "may never be able to talk again."

She is currently communicating only by writing, he said.

The shooter had moved to his grandparents' home several months ago after he had an intense argument with his mother, her boyfriend told NBC News.

His grandfather, Rolando Reyes, told The New York Post last week that his grandmother told him on the morning of the shooting that he needed to contribute more to the household.

Authorities say the gunman arrived at the school with two AR-15-style rifles and a handgun. In Texas, rifles can be bought at the age of 18.

The shooter legally purchased one of the rifles the day after his 18th birthday. It is unclear what weapon he used to shoot his grandmother.