STORY: Families placed flowers and candles at the foot of wooden crosses, each marked with the names of the deceased.

Others stood in a semicircle as AJ Tomayo, from Calvery Chapel in San Antonio, led them in prayer.

A spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety, Chris Olivarez, said on Thursday that investigators were still trying to confirm a precise timeline, including how long the gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, remained barricaded before officers breached the classroom and killed him.

The shooting has reignited a national debate over the country's gun laws. President Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats have vowed to push for new restrictions, despite resistance from Republicans.