Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Greg Abbott during Texas school shooting press conference

At least 19 students and two adults, including a teacher, died in a shooting at a South Texas elementary school Tuesday. Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials held an update Wednesday afternoon.

Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke interrupted the press conference, calling the tragedy “totally predictable when you choose not to do anything.”

A mix of boos and cheers rose up from the crowd as the former congressman and 2020 presidential candidate briefly spoke, then was escorted from the room.

Sen. Ted Cruz, standing behind Abbott, shook his head and said “sit down!” while one woman in the crowd chanted, “Let him speak.”

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin shouts at O'Rourke

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin yelled that O'Rourke was a “sick son of a bitch.” Some people cried.

Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said to O’Rourke: “You’re out of line and an embarrassment.”

O’Rourke, as he was being escorted out, turned around, faced the stage, pointed his finger and said: “This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday.”

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Six mass shootings occurred since Abbott was elected in 2014. Over 90 Texans have been killed in mass shootings in scores of others wounded.

What we know about Uvalde, Texas school shooting

Gov. Greg Abbott said the gunman in a school shooting sent social media messages about his intentions half an hour before the deadly rampage.

Shortly after his revelation, former congressman Beto O'Rourke confronted Abbott over "doing nothing'' about gun violence, adding a chaotic element to a Wednesday news conference addressing the attack at Robb Elementary School that left 19 children and two teachers dead Tuesday.

The gunman sent Facebook messages about 30 minutes before the rampage that he was going to shoot his grandmother, then that he had shot the woman, and finally that he was going to shoot up an elementary school, Abbott said. Facebook said the messages were private texts.

Abbott said there was no other "meaningful forewarning of this crime,'' emphasized the need for mental health services and said of the victims' families, "what they need now more than ever is our love.''

More: Matthew McConaughey, Sen. Ted Cruz respond to elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas

USA Today and AP contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Beto O'Rourke confronts Gov. Abbott at Texas shooting press conference