Topline
Video footage compiled by investigators that was obtained by the Austin American-Statesman of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, shows how police on the scene hesitated to confront the suspect for more than an hour after arriving on the scene.
Flowers are placed on a makeshift memorial in front of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on … [+]
Key Facts
The edited video shows 18-year-old Salvador Ramos crashing his pickup truck nearby, firing shots outside and entering the elementary school holding an AR-15.
Security camera footage from a school hallway shows a child–whose face was blurred to protect their identity–turn a corner to see Ramos fire the first rounds into a classroom down the hall, at which point the child runs in the opposite direction.
Police arrived at the school just minutes after Ramos, but the footage shows how officers were confused and hesitant on how to approach the situation, and while several officers initially rushed toward the classrooms, they retreated after Ramos fired more shots.
The video shows how they kept their distance even as more officers arrived one the scene, some carrying ballistic shields, and at one point the footage shows more than a dozen heavily-armed officers whispering to each other in the elementary school hallway.
Video timestamps show no attempt to enter the classrooms made until one hour and 14 minutes after police arrived on the scene, at which point a team of officers entered the classroom and killed Ramos.
Key Background
The release of footage related to the shooting has been controversial. Gov. Gregg Abbott has pushed for the videos to be released, while Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee objected, the Texas Department of Public Safety said in a letter last week. Texas officials announced Monday that footage from the elementary school hallway would be released Sunday after the video is shown to the victims’ families first. Uvalde police have come under heavy scrutiny for their response to the shooting. Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo, who was the incident commander, has been placed on leave and resigned from the Uvalde City Council.
Further Reading
Uvalde Hallway Footage Will Be Released Sunday, Texas State Rep. Says (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carlieporterfield/2022/07/12/video-from-uvalde-school-shooting-published-showing-police-response/