Nearly a month after the massacre at a Texas elementary school, the school district police chief has been suspended until further notice. There are several ongoing investigations into the crime, but it’s unclear when the results will be available, Uvalde School District Superintendent Dal Harrell said Wednesday. In view of the “continuing lack of clarity”, he has decided to put police chief Piet A. on leave with immediate effect.
An 18-year-old gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at a primary school in the small town of Uvalde in late May. The attacker shot the children and teachers in two connected classrooms with an assault rifle. Only about 75 minutes after the gunman opened fire, emergency services broke into the room and killed the assailant. The police have been criticized for their hesitant intervention.
Massacre only stopped after more than an hour
During a Texas Senate hearing Tuesday, Texas director of public safety, Steven McCraw, said that just three minutes after the gunman entered a classroom and opened fire, nine police officers were outside the room, two of them with guns.
Gradually more were added. The operations manager decided to wait for reinforcements, more weapons and protective equipment. None of this was necessary, McCraw argued.
“Police officers had guns and training, the kids nothing”
In such a situation, when in doubt, a police officer with a gun is enough to stop the shooter – even if it poses a risk to the officer. The police officers outside the room had guns, protective gear and the training for such situations, but the kids had none, McCraw said. Nevertheless, the students and teachers had to wait “an hour, 14 minutes and eight seconds” for emergency services to enter the room to rescue them.
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.
