- After the bloodbath at a Texas school, the police are increasingly criticized for their actions during the crime.
- Parents accuse the emergency services of having been idle for too long and not intervening in time.
- According to the authorities, the officers who had arrived had initially requested special equipment and reinforcements.
Authorities confirmed on Thursday that the gunman spent around an hour in the classroom shooting at children and teachers. Only then did the police enter the room and shoot the 18-year-old. At a media conference, Victor Escalon from the Texas Department of Public Safety announced further details about the course of the crime and spoke of a “complex situation”.
How is it that their officers were in there for an hour (…) but no one was able to get into that room?
The attacker entered the elementary school and eventually a classroom near an entrance around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday, he said. Police were on site within minutes because witnesses saw the armed man in front of the school. When asked why the police didn’t try to break into the classroom directly, he said they didn’t have the special equipment to do so. The door was “barricaded”.
Most shots at the beginning
The police then called for reinforcements and brought other school children and teachers to safety. She would also have tried to negotiate with the shooter. He fired most of the shots at the very beginning. “There wasn’t much shooting during the negotiations, other than trying to keep the police at bay,” Escalon said.
Legend:
Victor Escalon of the Texas Department of Public Safety speaks at a media conference about Tuesday’s operation.
key stone
After about an hour, special forces arrived and shot the 18-year-old. There had been conflicting information about exactly how the crime took place.
It was initially said that the shooter had already been confronted by a security guard in front of the school. Escalon did not confirm that. Instead, the shooter was able to enter the school unhindered through an unlocked door.
Critical questions from parents
At the press conference on Thursday, the authorities came under pressure to justify themselves. “Why don’t you clarify that and explain to us how it is possible that your officers were in there for an hour (…) but no one was able to get into this room?” asked a journalist.
I told one of the officers myself that if they don’t want to go in, lend me his gun and a vest and I’ll go in myself.
Recently, more and more critical voices from parents in Uvalde have been raised. They accuse the police of acting too hesitantly. “I told one of the officers myself if they don’t want to go in, lend me his gun and a vest and I’ll go in myself to sort things out,” a father of one survivor told CNN. Other parents made similar statements in US media.