Uvalde Police Facing Questions Over Inaction During School Massacre
Barely days after 19 elementary school children and two teachers were shot to death by an 18-year old with two AR-15 style assault rifles, questions are swirling about the actions of local law enforcement, supported by video and photos apparently taken by those who were outside Robb Elementary School during the massacre.
“Frustrated onlookers urged police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman’s rampage killed 19 children and two teachers, witnesses said Wednesday, as investigators worked to track the massacre that lasted upwards of 40 minutes and ended when the 18-year-old shooter was killed by a Border Patrol team,” the Associated Press reports.
“Go in there! Go in there!” nearby women shouted at the officers soon after the attack began, said Juan Carranza, 24, who saw the scene from outside his house, across the street from Robb Elementary School in the close-knit town of Uvalde. Carranza said the officers did not go in.
Multiple reports state police waited outside for those 40 minutes, or more, before taking action to neutralize the shooter. During that time, some have noted, it’s possible children who had been shot died of their wounds rather than receiving medical attention.
CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent Jim Sciutto:
Texas police are saying a lot of things. They’re not saying why it took so long to go into the classroom.
— Jim Sciutto (@jimsciutto) May 26, 2022
Veteran journalist Soledad O’Brien:
If these were the reporters’ children they’d be more blunt and less delicate. Why did police wait to rush in? Why did they ignore the pleas from parents—who we see in video begging the police to help their kids? These are not ‘tough questions’. But journalists are often reluctant https://t.co/conf5g3nYX
— Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) May 26, 2022
Indeed, additional reports appear to show not only did police not storm the school, for reasons yet unknown, they appear to have prevented desperate parents from doing anything to help save their children, even using force, including a taser, to stop them. And in one case (below,) from the account of one of the children who survived published by CBS affiliate KENS5, police action may have led to the death of one of the students.
VICE News reports: “Texas law enforcement officials are being strangely opaque about what actually happened during the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.”
“When asked how much time passed between the gunman arriving at the school and the gunman being killed, Texas’ Director of Public Safety Steve McCraw offered an indefinite response.”
“Forty minutes, an hour,” he said. “But I don’t want to give you a particular timeline.”
VICE adds that “officers ‘were responsible’ for containing the gunman in a classroom, McCraw said. (Spokespersons for the Texas Department of Public Safety had repeatedly told news outlets earlier that the suspect barricaded himself into the classroom and immediately started shooting.)”
NBC News correspondent covering national security and intelligence Ken Dilanian:
The Texas officials have glossed over this, but by their account, the gunman was first spotted outside the school by an armed school resource officer who did not fire at him, but instead confronted him and “followed him in” to the school. That needs to be explained.
— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) May 25, 2022
Matt Novak, a senior writer at the tech site Gizmodo, posted these tweets:
This video make so much more sense now. The cops literally stopped parents from helping their kids. pic.twitter.com/zhQfUjlpjd https://t.co/DqgZUH3uCC
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) May 26, 2022
This one is tragic:
Not only did cops with long guns have their tasers out, ready to stop parents from saving their own children, it looks like the cops have one parent pinned to the ground.
You can hear one person yell, "what the fuck are you doing to him? Let him up!" pic.twitter.com/zW5V9FJ2r0
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) May 26, 2022
Sawyer Hackett, a senior advisor to Julián Castro, the former Obama HUD Secretary and former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, reposted these videos and offers some commentary:
This also took place hours after the shooting, and the officer is sharing lots of false information with news networks.
Was he misinformed by local police? Or intentionally spinning the story? https://t.co/vAQzsaES5q
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 26, 2022
This video is insane.
Dozens of cops outside the school as the shooter continues rampage. Parents almost ran inside since police wouldn’t. All of a sudden police are gun shy? https://t.co/CtswI3u9Eu
— Sawyer Hackett (@SawyerHackett) May 26, 2022
Even this editor from the right wing website Daily Caller says “it appears the police did everything wrong once the shooter was in the room.”
Police reportedly waited for up to an hour before breaching and killing the suspect. This goes against everything police are taught in the post-Columbine world.
Before Columbine, protocol was to sit and wait assuming it was a hostage situation. Not anymore. (2/8)
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) May 26, 2022
Breaching a room with multiple windows and a door, again without getting into tactics, is very doable. Why did police not attempt it?
In close quarters combat done in light (this doesn't apply to night vision and the dark), speed is everything. The fastest guys win. (5/8)
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) May 26, 2022
Reprinted with permission from Alternet.