Investigators in the state of Texas are investigating whether the police chief of the Uvalde schools, Peter Arredondo, even had a police radio when he made the disastrous decision to have the officers behind him, instead of confronting him. The shooter Salvador Ramos, who killed 19 children, told a police source. .
The lack of a police radio may explain why Arredondo decided to detain officers as several students called 911 from the school asking for help, state Department of Public Safety investigators believe.
“This will be key,” the source said, “if these 911 calls were communicated to officers or the incident commander.”
Ramos crashed a van into a ditch outside Robb Elementary on Tuesday, which quickly began firing, and climbed over a fence before entering through an open door, officials said.
Police entered the school about two minutes after the gunman, who barricaded himself in a classroom, where the 21 victims were killed. But authorities have said Arrendondo ordered officers to block entry to the classroom, despite requests from outside parents that someone try to save the children.
“We are still trying to determine if he had a radio on him, if he was monitoring the communication channels,” the source said. “If they were being relayed, it also raises questions about why it wasn’t treated as an active shooter situation.”
The head of the police in the schools of Uvalde, Peter Arredondo, allegedly argued that the agents should be more armed to approach the gunman Salvador Ramos.ZUMAPRESS.com Police officers take the children out the window a class during the shooting.
“The problem right now is that there’s a lot of confusion,” the source said, noting that officers from various agencies rushed to the school once 911 calls began to arrive.
Arredondo, who was the highest-ranking officer and among the first to arrive, declined to speak to The Post Saturday morning, but has already spoken to the Texas Rangers, who are conducting interviews for the Department’s investigation. of State Public Safety on the response. at Robb Elementary School, the source said.
Officials said Arrendondo believed they needed more equipment and more agents before storming the classroom. Colonel Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said Friday in a briefing that he “made the wrong decision.”
Law enforcement guides guide children to safety during the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. Pete Luna / Uvalde Leader-News / Handout via REUTERS
But a policeman at the scene told the Post that Arrendondo was wrongly guilty.
“It simply came to our notice then [Pete] Arrendondo told everyone to retire, “said the agent, who did not want to be named. “It’s a lie. And we’re all receiving death threats. It’s a nightmare.
Arrendondo, a native of Uvalde who will join Uvalde City Council after winning 70% of the vote earlier this month, had plenty of active shooter training to go through, he said. one of its former chiefs.
Colonel Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, admitted that he should have required police officers to enter elementary school immediately. REUTERS / Marco Bello A border patrol officer was shot in the head during a confrontation with alleged gunman Salvador Ramos. Anna Giaritelli / Washington Examiner
Ray Garner, who supervised Arredondo while working in the Laredo School District, said Arredondo was an “excellent officer” and said, “Down here, we train a lot in active shooter scenarios, and he was involved in those. We train [officers] go straight to the shooters and neutralize them. ”
The latest in a Texas school shooting
In fact, the school district hosted an active shooter drill just two months ago at Uvalde High School. The mandatory curriculum for the training included a section on active shooting which turned into a “barricade crisis”.