A Texas mom who was desperate over being denied food stamps shot her two children and then committed suicide after a seven-hour standoff with SWAT teams at a state welfare office, authorities said.

Ramie Grimmer, 12, and her brother Timothy, 10, were clinging to #life at a San Antonio hospital after Monday night's l horrific ordeal, during which Ramie apparently updated her #Facebook page to say "may die 2day." The chilling incident began about 5 p.m. #Monday when Rachelle Grimmer, 38, visited a state welfare office in Laredo to discuss a food stamp application she had submitted in July #police said.

Caseworkers took Grimmer to a private room, where the distraught mom pulled a gun and threatened employees, authorities said.

Police negotiators spent the next several hours trying to persuade Grimmer to bring her children out safely, but she refused, instead haranguing them about the red tape she grappled with while trying to feed her family, The Associated Press reported.

At one point, Ramie Grimmer posted an update on Facebook that said "tear gas " — an apparent reference to tear gas being fired at the building.

Finally, just before midnight, cops heard three shots and stormed the building, where they discovered Grimmer lying dead in a pool of blood.

Her children were nearby, unconscious and bleeding from gunshot wounds.

Both #kids were reported in critical condition on Wednesday.

Authorities told the AP that Grimmer was denied food stamps because she had left some key information out of her initial application.

She and her children had recently moved to Texas from Ohio and appeared to be struggling to say on their feet. “She was dealing with a lot of issues," Health and Human Services spokeswoman Stephanie Goodman told the AP.

Grimmer had last contacted the agency in mid-November, but had fallen out of touch since then, Goodman said".

Mom Graduates in Son's Place After Fatal Post-Prom Crash

Via NBC Washington:

In her late son’s cap and gown, Katherine Jackson sat among graduating students at Thornton Fractional North High School Wednesday.

“[My son] knows his mom never walked the stage,” she said. “I’m going to be his legs and he’s going to be my wings and we’re going to go up there and get our diploma.”

Jackson’s son, Aaron Dunigan, was one of two people killed in a south suburban Chicago car crash while on his way home from prom over the weekend. The 18-year-old football quarterback died when the car he was riding in, which was driven by his friend, crossed a median and crashed into another car.

The crash also killed the driver of the other vehicle, 56-year-old Metra employee Juan Rivera, who was on his way to work at the time.

David Peden, who was driving the vehicle Dunigan and a classmate were riding in, was later charged with DUI causing death & reckless him iced with a motor vehicle.  

The third teen in Peden’s vehicle, Mike Crowter, was badly injured in the crash.

The three classmates were scheduled to graduate Wednesday and were returning from prom at the time of the crash.

Crowter was able to attend the school’s graduation ceremony, arriving in a wheel chair.

“It was prom night,” said classmate Keshawn Harrison. “Just wasn’t supposed to end like that.”

Dunigan, who was preparing to play football for Southern Illinois University in the fall, was honored and mourned at the ceremony by friends and family.

“This has to be a moment of celebration and learning,” the school’s superintendent Creg Williams said during the event. “Let their incident not be in vain. Be safe.”

“I just wish he was here so we’d all celebrate together,” said student Jasmine Bailey.

Dunigan’s mother took his place in the ceremony, walking up to the stage to accept her son’s diploma.

“All of this was divinely orchestrated by my son,” Jackson said. 

BALTIMORE RIOTS MOM OPRAH GAVE ME THUMBS UP For Smackdown On My Son

From TMZ:

It's one thing for the media to call you mother of the year -- but the so-called "Baltimore Riots mom" got an even better stamp of approval ... from Oprah Winfrey. 

We just talked to Toya Graham and her son, Michael Singleton, in NYC ... where she's become a media darling for her now famous public shaming -- and butt-whupping -- of her son when he attempted to join rioters in Baltimore this week.

Toya told us about all the cool people she's met in person since the run-in -- but explained why the phone call from Oprah topped them all. She also revealed what big O had to say about her parenting skills.

Best of all ... Toya tells us exactly what kind of punishment Michael's getting at home.

Lesson learned ... we guarantee.