Officers waited outside for 40 minutes while the Uvalde gunman barricaded himself in a 4th-grade classroom. The shooting led to the death of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
“I’m ready if I have to,” a Uvalde mother said after authorities created a perimeter to keep parents outside the school while officers waited for backup.
In another video, officers are seen tackling parents, threatening them with tasers, and pushing them away from campus as they cry and plead for them to go inside the school.
The timeline of events conflicts with their initial statement where they claim officers detained the gunman. A Customs and Border Patrol officer eventually killed the gunman after a school employee opened the door to the 4th-grade classroom.
According to a Texas DPS Lieutenant who spoke to a local news station after the shooting, some law enforcement officers even rushed into the school to rescue their own children.
More video footage shows officers pushing back parents from entering another part of the Robb Elementary school campus, and shows authorities pining one parent down to the ground after attempting to save his child.
Authorities are investigating law enforcement officials response to the shooting in Uvalde after authorities continue to give conflicting stories and timeline of events.
In a press conference on Thursday, Victor Escalon, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman said officers waited outside the school while waiting for SWAT backup.
Escalon also said there was not a school resource officer or security guard on Robb Elementary campus, despite reports on Wednesday by Abbott and local officials saying the gunman was engaged.
Something that still isn’t clear and authorities can’t answer is what officers were doing from 11:28 when the shooter crashed the car to 11:40 when he entered the school.
Escalon said two officers tried to engage with the gunman after he entered the school where they were met with gunfrire from the shooter and decided to stand down.
One hour later a tactical team and U.S. Border patrol entered the school and killed the gunman, Escalon said. The spokesman also said authorities couldn’t determine if the door where the shooter entered was locked or unlocked.
The conflicting information from officers creates more questions than answers for grieving families and the Uvalde Community.
This is a developing story
Photo: Jason Lawrence / Wikimedia Commons
Kennedy is a recent graduate of the University of St.Thomas in Houston where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Celt Independent. Kennedy brings her experience of writing about social justice issues to the Texas Signal where she serves as our Political Reporter. She does everything from covering crime beats, Texas politics, and community activism. Kennedy is a passionate reporter, avid reader, coffee enthusiast, and loves to travel.
