U.S. News
Uvalde parents call out cops for their response to school massacre [Video]
- Police response has been questioned after reports surfaced that the Texas gunman had been in the school for nearly an hour before officers went inside.
- Several parents were frustrated that the officers did not do enough.
- A fourth-grade boy who survived the deadly shooting said that the gunman shot a girl who followed police instructions to yell for help.
Locals and critics have questioned the police response to the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Many believe that the police did not act fast enough or did not do enough, while the authorities defended the handling of the shooting.
According to authorities, the gunman barricaded himself inside a classroom on Tuesday. He was inside for at least 40 minutes before a tactical unit was able to get inside, after which the suspect was shot and killed.
The gunman had killed 19 children and two teachers.
A fourth-grade boy who survived the deadly shooting recounted his story to local news station KENS. He shared how he and his friend had hidden under a table hidden from view by a cloth.
The boy shared how his teachers — Eva Mireles, 44, and Irma Garcia, 46 — bravely “went in front of my classmates to help. To save them.”
The boy added, “When the cops came, the cop said: ‘Yell if you need help!’ And one of the persons in my class said ‘help.'” But the gunman overheard and came into the classroom to shoot the girl who yelled.
“The cop barged into that classroom,” the boy continued. “The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.”
The story comes as several critics questioned the police response to the shooting.
Several videos circulating on social media showed heavily armed officers standing outside the school while parents desperately urged them to charge into the building and take action to save their kids.
One parent had to be pinned down to the ground while another officer held out a Taser to keep bystanders at bay.
A resident from across the school, Juan Carranza, told The Associated Press that he saw how people were shouting at the police to enter the school, but the officers remained outside.
Grieving father Javier Cazares accused police of not doing enough. His daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was among the children who were killed.
Cazares raced to the school as soon as he heard about the shooting, but when he arrived, the police were still outside. He was so frustrated that he wanted to just “rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to.”
“More could have been done,” he said.
Texas Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw defended the officers’ response to the situation.
He stated, “The bottom line is law enforcement was there. They did engage immediately. They did contain [him] in the classroom.”
Source: Newsweek
Sylvia G Garcia
May 28, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Steve McCraw got one thing right. The murderer WAS contained. Problem is , contained with a class full of innocent souls and with that continued his rampage !
Patrick
May 28, 2022 at 6:46 pm
Tall hats with Texas authorities but short on courage. Shooter should have been stopped with his 12 minute shooting incident and never allowed to enter the school. Twelve minutes is a long time to be firing a gun in the street. 45 minutes barricaded in a classroom with children is 45 lifetimes.
Lily
May 28, 2022 at 7:01 pm
My prayers are with the families the police were cowards and I hope there actions haunts them the rest of there lives they should lose there jobs they didn’t protect those beautiful children Texas do the right thing fire them all don’t give them the chance to let this happen again
John
May 28, 2022 at 8:15 pm
The County Prosecutor should immediately seat a Grand Jury. I am of the opinion, that the Chief of Police so failed in the discharge of duties, that a multiple count charge of accessory felony murder. The failure of the police force, to act in prudent rational manner. This as the Law requires, demands the discharge of the entire force. They should be charged for wanton disregard for human life, and accessory after the fact, to feline murder.
0x
May 29, 2022 at 12:54 am
This is exactly what happened in Parkland. The coward Deputy hid behind a wall waiting for back-up? One would think, instead of standing around for 40 minutes, one has an active shooter on the scene, they would make an attempt to neutralize the threat, standing around waiting for backup is not neutralizing the threat.
GomeznSA
May 29, 2022 at 1:38 pm
LOTS of ‘opinions’ (not just on this thread) about what the coppers ‘should’ have done and yes, there were likely serious mistakes and faulty judgements made. Can any of the ‘blame the cops’ crowd explain how the other 600 or so students and staff got evacuated? There is only ONE person to blame for this atrocity and he is dead. We will never make any strides toward preventing such vicious acts or finding healing for all involved while all of the finger pointing continues.
Patty
May 29, 2022 at 2:35 pm
THE POLICE DEFINITELY DID NOT REACT CORRECTLY!!!!! I JUST CAN NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY OF THEM….DIDN’T STORM THAT SCHOOL IMMEDIATELY!!!!! “ALSO”……..THE TEACHER WHO LEFT THE DOOR OPEN!!!!!!! NOT ANYTHING HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THERE RESPONSIBILITY???????? THEY OBVIOUSLY HAD A “GREAT PART”!!!!!!!!! IN WHAT HAPPENED IN THE SCHOOL?????? I AM SICK OF HEARING THAT IF THERE WAS A BETTER CONTROL OF GUNS….THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN!!!!!!!!! CRIMINALS GET GUNS ALL THE TIME!!!!! THEY DONOT CARE ABOUT LAWS……..AND MOST OF THE TIME THEY GET THEM ILLEGALLY?????? “A GUN” DOES NOT GO OFF BY ITSELF!!!!!!!! ALSO IN SCHOOL SHOOTINGS….THERE IS “ALWAYS” A MENTAL HEALTH, SCHOOL, OR POLICEMAN WHO DID NOT DO THERE JOB CORRECTLY!!!!!!!! SCHOOLS SHOULD CONSIDER TEACHING CHILDREN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ABOUT BULLYING, CONSIDERATION FOR EACH OTHER, REACHING OUT TO CHILDREN WHO ARE DIFFERENT (SPEACH, CLOTHES, ETC;) NEVER MIND THIS CRAP ABOUT SEXUAL, TRANSGENDERS, GAY, ETC………THIS IS UP TO THE PARENTS!!!!!!!! WHO SHOULD BE NOTIFIED IMMEDIATELY WHEN SOMETHING GOES WRONG!!!!! ALSO THE MENTAL HEALTH TEACHER NEEDS TO REVALUE THERE JOB IN HOW TO HELP THE CHILDREN?????????
CharlieSeattle
May 29, 2022 at 6:52 pm
The teacher must be a bleeding heart Democrat.
CharlieSeattle
May 29, 2022 at 6:51 pm
The Cops were cowards! Fire all 40+ cowards that did not act at once!