TRAGIC MISSTEPS
Uvalde cops missed chances
Uvalde police didn’t even attempt to open the door to the classrooms where a gunman slaughtered 19 kids and two teachers at a Texas elementary school, as it emerged that other officers passed on an opportunity to take the attacker out before the carnage, according to reports.
A source, citing surveillance footage, told the San Antonio Express-News that the officers who waited 77 minutes in the hallway as Salvador Ramos, 18, was killing his victims never even tried to open the door.
Classroom doors at Robb Elementary are designed to lock automatically, but the source noted Ramos was able to open the door to Room 111 without trouble, the outlet noted. Police also missed an opportunity to shoot Ramos before he entered the school, but chose not to open fire for fear of hurting kids nearby.
In the moments before the May 24 massacre unfolded, an officer with an AR-15-style rifle hesitated to pull the trigger, Chief Deputy Ricardo Rios of the Zavala County Sheriff ’s Office told The New York Times.
The chance to stop Ramos before he carried out his plans to target the children passed quickly, perhaps in seconds, Rios said.
The police response and the actions of Uvalde Schools Police Chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo have drawn widespread criticism and are being probed by the state and the US Department of Justice.
After Ramos locked himself in adjoining classrooms, cops from multiple law-enforcement agencies took more than an hour to storm the room and shoot him down, even as survivors inside called 911 begging for help.
Zavala County Sheriff Eusevio Salinas told CNN that when he responded to the school about 30 minutes into the tragedy, he didn’t hear anyone say they were in charge, but found a “hazy and foggy” scene.
Police reverse course
The revelations came as Uvalde police officials reversed course and agreed to speak to a Texas House committee probing the police response to the shooting.
“We had several conversations today with the city of Uvalde, the city of Uvalde Police Department,” state Rep. Dustin Burrows, the committee chairman, told reporters. “We are going to actually have witnesses testify to us from their department. They have agreed to that.”
It is unclear if officers expected to testify include those who did not seize the chance to shoot Ramos down before he entered the school. So far, Arredondo has not agreed to speak to the committee.
Two officers from the school district police force testified before the committee Friday, as did two teachers. The panel is scheduled to reconvene on Monday.
Committee members visited the now-closed school Friday, where they toured the classroom and laid a wreath outside.