Texas police have corrected key details about the Uvalde school shooting as criticism from some parents about the initial account of the events mounts.
Last Tuesday, the small and normally quiet town in the state of Texas became the scene of the worst massacre that occurred in a school in the United States in almost a decade.
At least 21 people were killed (19 of them children and two teachers) when Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old teenager, stormed Robb Elementary with a handgun and AR-15 rifle, barricaded himself in a classroom and began To shoot.
Since then, details of how the day that forever changed the life of this border town took place.
But in their latest statements, the police have retracted previous statements.
1. It entered without much effort
Authorities initially reported that Ramos exchanged fire with a school police officer before entering the building.
Shortly after, during a briefing on Wednesday, Steven C. McCraw, director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), said that a police officer from the school “attacked” the shooter but that there was no exchange of fire.
But on Thursday police revealed that the attacker wandered outside the school for 12 minutes before entering without question.
“It was reported (initially) that a police officer from the school district confronted the suspect as he was entering. This is not correct. He entered without hindrance,” revealed DPS Regional Director Victor Escalon.
2. The “speed” of the response
Initially, several US officials welcomed the authorities’ “swift” response.
DPS Director Steven C. McCraw said Wednesday that an officer acted quickly as Ramos approached the school after crashing his vehicle.
State Gov. Greg Abbott, for his part, praised the “rapid response” of “brave local officials” who he said had confronted the gunman before he entered the school.
“They showed incredible courage,” he added.
But this Thursday, Escalon revealed that the police arrived after the armed man entered and that he was killed 90 minutes after their arrival.
The response is now seen as tardy and a series of videos showing frustrated parents being accosted and handcuffed by police while the attacker was still inside the school has sparked growing anger in America.
3. They did not enter immediately
This Thursday, Escalón explained that Ramos crashed his vehicle nearby at 11:28 a.m., and the first emergency call came two minutes later when some witnesses reported that they had seen a man with a firearm.
Ramos fired at bystanders, walked through the school grounds and freely entered a gate that was open at 11:40am.
Police arrived at the scene four minutes later, according to Escalon.
Police initially said officers were “inside” trying to act and took cover after being attacked.
But Escalon contradicted this version on Thursday.
“They (did not) go in immediately because of the shots they were receiving,” he said.
At 12:45, the gunman was shot dead not by local officers. but by a tactical unit led by US border agents.
Escalon downplayed earlier police statements that there were ongoing exchanges of fire during the hour Ramos was at the scene.
“Most of the shots were at the beginning.”
4) Bulletproof vest
Initially, the local authorities claimed that the gunman was wearing a bulletproof vest, but later they changed the narrative.
Sergeant Erick Estrada, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Wednesday that Ramon had “a rifle and a bulletproof vest.”
“After the crash (of his vehicle), an armed man with a bulletproof vest came out. He entered through a door to the south (of the campus), where he met a police officer and they began to shoot at each other,” he explained.
But later, Lt. Christopher Olivarez, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the attacker was not wearing a bulletproof vest, but a vest to store extra magazines.
Ramos legally purchased two AR-style rifles on his 18th birthday, a week before the attack.
The investigation has found no indication that he had a criminal or mental illness history.
Despite the timeline offered by the regional director of the DPS, Victor Escalon, this Thursday, there are still many doubts about the facts.
Escalon refused to answer multiple questions about why the gunman hadn’t been killed earlier. But he stated that he had “considered all questions” and would provide an update soon.
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BBC-NEWS-SRC: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-internacional-61560242, IMPORTING DATE: 2022-05-27 14:30:05
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