New footage has been released showing police officers inside the school during the Uvalde shooting. Families and some officials were hoping the video would answer questions rather than raise new ones. However, that is not the case.
Around 11:30 a.m. (CT) the gunman can be seen entering the school weapon in hand. He then proceeds to calmly walk down the hall. An unsuspecting student can be viewed coming to the hallway intersection the gunman just walked down. The child goes to turn the corner when he spots the gunman and bolts it back in the other direction.
Roughly three minutes after the shooter entered the elementary school, three officers come charging into the hallway. They have a brief interaction with the shooter before the officers retreat to safety.
A little less than 20 minutes later, heavily armed police officers enter the hallway. Officers stood in the hallway setting up shields, surveying the situation, and repositioned themselves. One officer used some hand sanitizer from the dispenser on the wall, while the gunman fired over 100 rounds killing 19 children and two teachers.
Seventy-seven minutes after the carnage began, officers’ breached the classroom the gunman was in.
The victims’ families and concerned community members wanted to know what took officers so long to protect those inside the building. They had already felt that officers had placed their own safety ahead of the children and the new footage does not discourage that thinking.
Austin American-Statesman was supposed to have released the footage to the victims’ families and the community of Uvalde before being shown to the public. Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw stated he was “deeply disappointed this video was released before all of the families who were impacted that day and the community of Uvalde had the opportunity to view it as part of Chairman Dustin Burrows’ plan.” The people who were most affected by the event “should have been among the first to see it,” he added.
Burrows concurred with McCraw’s disappointment in the officers’ actions. However, he was “glad that a small portion is now available for the public.” Being able to see the officers’ “response or lack thereof, is also important.”
On May 24, 2022, an 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, entered Robb Elementary School and massacred 19 children and two teachers. Before that, he shot his grandmother in the face and stole her vehicle.
The victims of the school shooting are:
- Jose Flores, 10 years old.
- Jackie Cazares, 9 years old.
- Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 years old.
- Irma Garcia, 48, teacher for two decades.
- Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 years old.
- Eliahna “Ellie” Garcia, 9 years old.
- Uziyah Garcia, 10 years old.
- Amerie Jo Garza, 10 years old.
- Xavier Lopez, 10 years old.
- Tess Marie Mata, 10 years old.
- Maranda Gail Mathis, 11 years old.
- Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10 years old.
- Alexandria Aniyah Rubio, 10 years old.
- Layla Salazar, 10 years old.
- Jailah Silguero, 10 years old.
- Eliahana Torres, 10 years old.
- Rojelio Torres, 10 years old.
- Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo, 10 years old.
- Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
- Alithia Haven Ramirez, 10
- Eva Mireles, 44, transformational teacher.
Losing a loved one to gun violence is sad. It is even more disheartening when the victim is a child just starting out their lives. Many people feel the officers should have done more or acted faster.
Written by Sheena Robertson
Sources:
The New York Times: ‘She Was My Sweet Girl’: Remembering the Victims of the Uvalde Shooting
The Texas Tribune: What we know, minute by minute, about how the Uvalde shooting and police response unfolded
CBS News: Newly released video shows inside Uvalde school during shooting
Insider: Video from inside Uvalde school shows officers stopping for hand sanitizer
Top and Featured Image Courtesy of Don Holloway‘s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Inset Image Courtesy of Phillip Pessar;’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
