The mother of the Texas shooter responsible for the death of 21 people – including 19 children – and injuring 17 others, has claimed she was "surprised" by his rampage and that he was "not a violent person".

Adriana Reyes admitted that her son Salvador Ramos, 18, was a loner who "kept to himself and didn't have many friends".

She denied that she was a drug addict and that they had a toxic relationship, which led to him moving in with his grandparents.

She told the Daily Mail: "My son wasn't a violent person. I'm surprised by what he did. I pray for those families. I'm praying for all of those innocent children, yes I am. They had no part in this."

Reyes was speaking from the bedside of her mother Celia Gonzalez, who was the first victim of Ramos' shooting spree, when he shot her in the face at her home before heading to the school.

She added: "I had a good relationship with him. He kept to himself; he didn't have many friends."

The teenager had bought two AR-15 assault rifles, bragged about them on social media and suggested he would commit an atrocity.

His grandfather Rolando Reyes, 74, revealed that the family had no idea he had legally purchased the two weapons and that his grandson was a quiet teen who spent most of his time alone in his room.

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He told ABC News: "I didn't know he had weapons. If I'd have known, I would have reported it."

He added that sometimes he would go to work with him as he didn't attend school this year.

The 74-year-old explained: "Sometimes I'd take him to work with me. Not all the time, but sometimes. This past year he didn't go to school. He didn't graduate. You would try to tell him but kids nowadays they think they know everything. He was very quiet, he didn't talk very much.

Reyes added that the 18-year-old didn't live with his mother because they had "problems".

It is believed that he had gone to live with his grandparents after rowing with his mother about cutting the WiFi at their home.

It comes after it emerged that Ramos had warned in online messages minutes before the attack on Tuesday (May 24) he had shot his grandmother and that he was going to shoot up a school.

He then drove to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and killed 19 children, two teachers, as well as injuring 17 others.

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