Topline
An elementary school teacher in Uvalde, Texas, who propped open an external door ahead of last week’s deadly school shooting later returned to close the door before the gunman entered through it, state officials told the Associated Press on Tuesday, despite earlier claims that the shooter breached the building because a teacher had left a door ajar.
A map timeline of a shooter’s movements at Robb Elementary School on May 27, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.
Key Facts
The unnamed teacher propped the door open before Tuesday’s shooting but closed it after she realized there was a shooter near the school, though the door did not lock, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) spokesperson Travis Considine told the AP.
On Friday, DPS officials claimed the gunman entered the school through a propped-open door that was usually kept closed in compliance with security rules.
Don Flanery—a lawyer for the teacher—told the San Antonio Express-News on Tuesday his client had propped the door open with a rock while carrying food from a vehicle, but she quickly closed the door while calling 911 after seeing the gunman approach the school.
Law enforcement officers are investigating why the door did not lock when it was closed, Considine told the AP.
DPS did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Key Background
The Uvalde shooting left 22 people dead, including 19 children, two teachers and the gunman. Local law enforcement’s decision to wait over an hour to breach the classroom containing the gunman—a choice Texas DPS said last week was driven by the mistaken belief that the incident had turned into a barricaded-suspect scenario instead of an active-shooter scenario—has provoked criticism, and federal and state authorities have announced they will review the school police department’s response to the shooting. Uvalde’s city and school district police departments have ceased cooperating with a state probe in recent days, ABC News reported Tuesday.
Further Reading
“Local Police Reportedly Stop Cooperating With Texas School Shooting Investigation” (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/05/31/uvalde-teacher-closed-a-propped-open-door-before-school-shooting-police-reportedly-find-contradicting-earlier-claims/