Police presence increased at New Jersey and Philly schools after Texas mass shooting kills 19 children and 2 adults

In the wake of a mass shooting in Texas that left 21 dead — including 19 young children — officials upped security at local schools, with many seeing more police officers in the hallways and counselors at the ready to help students and staff cope with trauma.

On Tuesday, an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two adults at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, officials said, just 10 days after a shooting in Buffalo, N.Y., left 10 dead. The attack adds to a litany of mass killings in the country this year.

In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy said his heart was broken for the tragedy, and he was ashamed of what he saw as the country’s failure to protect children from senseless violence.

“There is no greater responsibility than protecting our children — and our nation is failing this most basic test,” he said in a statement.

Murphy said that the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General had directed law enforcement to increase their presence at schools throughout the Garden State. The New Jersey State Police would also increase their presence at schools in areas where state troopers were the primary law enforcement. Philadelphia officials said they, too, had boosted police patrols near schools.

“County Prosecutors will direct their municipal police departments to increase law enforcement presence at schools throughout their jurisdictions,” Murphy wrote on Twitter. “We will do everything in our power to ensure students, parents, and educators feel safe at school.”

In Camden, Superintendent Katrina McCombs said that the district had coordinated with Camden County Police Department and there would be “enhanced police presence” on campuses. A spokesperson for the Camden County Police Department confirmed there would be more officers and patrols at schools Wednesday.

McCombs also reassured parents and guardians that teachers in grades pre-K through 4 would not bring up the Texas shooting, but would be prepared to answers students’ questions.

Staff would also be closely watching students’ emotional and physical state and would refer them to school counselors if needed, she said.

» READ MORE: How to talk to children about the mass shooting in Texas

In Philadelphia, security was also being increased at local schools, both a response to the mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas and to the city’s own gun violence crisis.

During Mayor Jim Kenney’s regularly scheduled gun violence briefing Wednesday, he and Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw expressed grief over the shootings in Texas and Buffalo, and said police patrols at Philadelphia schools and around the city ahead of the Memorial Day weekend are being increased. Crime hot spots and commercial corridors will get stepped up police patrols going into the holiday weekend, Outlaw said.

“Yesterday’s news is devastating, and the loss of so many precious young lives is just unimaginable. To all the families hurting in ways that I can’t even begin to describe or imagine, Philadelphians offer our sincerest support and deepest condolences,” Kenney said. “When will enough be enough for elected officials in Harrisburg and Washington to do something about this, or at the very least stop preventing us from regulating guns in our own communities?”

Outlaw, who has made getting guns off of city streets a priority, said the patrols were also in response to the city’s recent spate of gun violence, including a triple shooting outside of a school.

“We’ve increased our patrols around schools and other areas where large groups congregate,” she said. “I want to assure the public that we’re using every resource available to us to ensure that our students finish off the school year safely and that everyone across the city can enjoy our warmer weather as safely as possible.”

School districts in the region were also adding counselors, with Cheltenham Superintendent Brian Scriven saying that the district was ready with mental health resources for students dealing with grief, trauma, and fear.

At a Wednesday news conference, Murphy said he was “exhausted” witnessing mass shootings and senseless violence. He renewed calls to approve a gun safety package he introduced last spring that would make New Jersey’s already strict gun control laws more stringent.

“Another day in America, another horrific act of gun violence enabled by the weak and feckless politicians kept in the holster of the gun lobby,” Murphy said. “This moment demands that the Legislature finally take action.”

The package would change how gun owners are required to store their guns, increase the age people can buy shotguns and rifles in the state from 18 to 21, give police tools to track firearms used to commit crimes and ban the sale of .50-caliber guns, among other proposed laws, Murphy said.

» READ MORE: Here’s what Pa. members of Congress have said about the Texas school shooting

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said Wednesday he was “horrified” by the shootings and urged the General Assembly and Congress to enact more gun control legislation.

“How many more children must die before we actually take meaningful action? How many more mass shootings must we witness before we wake up to the reality that gun violence is a public health crisis that must be addressed? People should feel safe going to school, the supermarket, their place of worship, the mall, the movies, and even outside in their community. Yet, these tragedies keep happening,” Wolf said in a statement.

Wolf pushed for his proposals to be made into law, including requiring reporting of lost and stolen guns within 72 hours, requiring background checks on all gun sales, creating red flag laws, and requiring safe storage of firearms.

Wolf also directed flags on all commonwealth facilities, public buildings, and grounds to fly at half-staff.

» READ MORE: How to help the families of the Uvalde school shooting

The Tuesday attack at Robb Elementary School in the heavily Latino town of Uvalde was the deadliest shooting at a U.S. school since a gunman killed 20 children and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Conn., in December 2012.

Staff writer Mensah M. Dean and the Associated Press contributed to this article.