U.S. Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said dozens of on-duty and off-duty officers responded to the shooting in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, adding that as soon as officers arrived, ” they did not hesitate. “
“We responded from several locations. I had both on-duty and off-duty people, who were in a training environment, responded to that location,” Ortiz said, adding that between 80 and 100 agents responded.
“They didn’t hesitate. They came up with a plan. They went into that classroom and took care of the situation as quickly as they could,” Ortiz told CNN’s Anderson Cooper.
Among those who responded were members of the Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC, which is a specialized unit made up of highly trained agents who respond to “emerging and high-risk incidents,” according to the agency.
One officer was injured and has since been discharged from hospital.
“I talked to my agents and I certainly talked to the officer who was injured yesterday. Nothing prepares you for a scene like they saw and witnessed yesterday,” Ortiz said.
The Border Patrol will participate in the investigation, given its involvement.
Earlier Wednesday, Chief Jason Owens, who heads the Del Rio branch of the Border Patrol, told CNN’s Mark Morales that the uniforms of officers who responded to the scene were “covered in blood.”
“I took my agents to Uvalde station. I had to wear new uniforms for them to change. It was a parody and a tragedy to the level that few people will ever see, and no one should see them,” he said. Owens. , emphasizing that the response was a joint effort of the police.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has a large presence in Uvalde, located about 60 miles from the Texas-Mexico border. Some officers had relatives attending school, Owens said.
“I had agents who were responding to this scene who had kids in there who didn’t know they were okay or not. We had a partner who was affected by that. And we had an agent who lost a granddaughter, we had others. that he lost members of the extended family, “Owens said.