The newspaper The Austin American-Statesman published this Tuesday parts of a video from surveillance cameras that show police officers retreating and waiting in the hallway for over an hour before interrupting the classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, as the fatal May 24 shooting was taking place in which a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.
(Also read: USA: Uvalde shooting elementary school to be demolished)
Video from surveillance cameras shows the armed 18-year-old man crashing his truck outside of Robb Elementary School and then entering the building at 11:33 am carrying a semi-automatic rifle.
Footage shows the shooter, later identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, walking unchallenged down the hallway with the rifle.
Gunshots are then heard as the shooter enters a classroom, and a minor is seen running across the hall.
Several police officers armed with guns are seen arriving in the school hallway within three minutes of the first shots being fired. They head to the hallway where the shooting is taking place but back up when the young gunman opens fire from the classroom.
Officers – local, state and federal, heavily armed and wearing bulletproof vests, helmets and in some cases shields – can be seen run away at the first shots that seem directed at them.
(You can read: Uvalde: police director suspended for delays in attending the shooting)
They can then be seen walking back and forth down the hall, some leaving the frame and then reappearing.
Others point their guns at the classroom, talking, making calls on their mobile phones, sending texts or looking at blueprints. No one enters or tries to enter the classroom.
Even after hearing the last shots 45 minutes after the police arrived, they are still waiting.
When federal agents finally entered the room where Ramos was and killed him one hour and 14 minutes had elapsed since the arrival of the officers. By then the shooter had already killed 19 children and two teachers, and injured 17 others.
(Also: The painful account of the teacher who survived a Texas school shooting)
so let me get this straight. Uvalde Officers were Inside Within 5 Minutes, Stood Around for Over An Hour, Made Sure to Get Hand Sanitizer … While Still Hearing Rounds Being Fired & The Kids Screaming?
What the FUCK are we doing here?? This is revolting.pic.twitter.com/MmjkFIFbar
— Kayce Smith (@KayceSmith) July 12, 2022
The video was released by the newspaper while the Texas legislative committee investigating the shooting plans to show the complete recording of more than an hour to the families of the victims and later to the general public next Sunday.
(Keep reading: Uvalde: mother who rescued her children denounces police harassment)
“We will first meet with members of the community and give them an opportunity to view the hallway video and discuss our preliminary report. We will release both to the public shortly thereafter,” state Rep. Dustin Burrows, chairman of the investigative committee, said on Twitter on Tuesday.
Texas public safety chief Steve McCraw days ago described the police response to the May 24 attack as a “resounding failure” and said officers wasted vital time searching for a key “never needed” to get into Classroom.
*With information from EFE and AFP
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