Following the massacre at an elementary school in the community of Uvalde, Texas, police have come under increasing pressure for their actions during the massacre. Parents accuse the emergency services of standing still for far too long and not intervene in time. Authorities confirmed that the gunman spent about an hour in the classroom where he killed the 19 children and two teachers. Only then did the police enter the room and shoot him.
At a news conference in Uvalde, Texas Department of Public Safety’s Victor Escalon gave further details about the course of the crime, calling it a “complex situation.” The attacker, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, entered the school around 11:40 a.m. Tuesday and eventually entered a classroom near an entrance, he said. Police were on the scene within minutes as witnesses saw the gunman in front of the school.
Police officers had no special equipment
When asked why the police didn’t try to enter the classroom directly, Escalon explained that the officers had no special equipment. The door was “barricaded”. Police then called for backup and rescued schoolchildren and teachers from other classes. In addition, she allegedly tried to negotiate with the shooter.
The 18-year-old fired the most shots in the beginning. “There was not much shooting during the negotiations, other than trying to keep the police at a distance,” Escalon said. After about an hour, special forces arrived and eventually shot Ramos. Escalon asked for more time to analyze the events more closely.
Conflicting information about the state of affairs
In recent days, there had been conflicting information from the police about exactly how the crime took place. Initially, it was said that the gunman in front of the school had already been confronted by a guard. Escalon has not confirmed that. Instead, the 18-year-old was able to walk unobstructed through an unlocked door to the school.
At Thursday’s press conference, authorities came under pressure to answer. “Why don’t you clarify that and explain to us how it is possible that your agents sat there for an hour (…) but that no one could get into this room?” asked a journalist. There are more and more critical voices from parents from Uvalde.
Parents accuse police of hesitation
They blame the police for being too hesitant. “I personally told one of the officers that if they don’t want to go in, lend me his gun and a vest and I’ll go in and sort it out myself,” Victor Luna told CNN. His son Jayden survived the massacre. The police were doing their job, Luna said. But she could have done it faster. Other parents made similar statements in US media.
According to investigators, the gunman had bought two assault rifles and ammunition from a store within days in March. According to CNN, the gunman sent several messages to a young person in Germany shortly before his attack. The 18-year-old wrote to the 15-year-old from Frankfurt am Main on Tuesday that he would open fire in a school. A few days earlier, he had posted photos of his guns on social media (pictured above).
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
