UVALDE, Texas (AP) – Documents examined by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV show armed police officers stood in a Uvalde elementary school hallway with at least one ballistic shield within 19 minutes of a gunman arriving at the school, where he killed 21 people, 19 of them children.
The outlets’ report, which did not indicate the source of the documents, nevertheless intensifies the anguish and questions over why police didn’t act sooner to stop the May 24 slaughter in the Robb Elementary School classroom.
The outlets reported that gunfire could be heard as much as 29 minutes before officers entered the classroom and killed the gunman.
KVUE Reporter Tony Plohetski has seen security footage from inside Robb Elementary School as the shooting was unfolding. The footage below begins at 11:52; police were on the scene at 11:35, two minutes after the 18-year old gunman entered the building.
What can be seen in the shot are at least 3 officers inside the school; one armed with a rifle and another with a ballistic shield. A total of 58- minutes would transpire before a classroom door was breached and the gunman was killed. By then 19 students and 2 teachers had been killed.
And, amid efforts by the City of Uvalde and Texas DPS to block release of police bodycam footage from inside the school, Plohetski says that he has seen transcripts of what was being said. Plohetski spoke with our media partner WFAA-TV about his findings, in conjunction with the Austin American-Statesment.
Meantime, the Uvalde School Board met Monday night and heard tearful comments from parents who lost children in the shooting tragedy. There is a Texas Senate committee meeting later today in Austin to hear public testimony. the focus is expected to be on the police response.
(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from WFAA-TV.)
