Paul J. Weber, The Associated Press Published Tuesday, July 12, 2022 7:54 PM EDT Last Updated on Tuesday, July 12, 2022 11:29 PM EDT
WARNING: The images and details in this story may be disturbing to some
UVALDE, Texas (AP) – A new wave of rage swept Uvalde Tuesday from surveillance footage of police officers in armor who milled in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman carried out a massacre inside a classroom of fourth grade where 19 children. and two teachers were killed.
The video released Tuesday by the Austin American-Statesman is a disturbing 80-minute recording of what has been known for weeks about one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history: those heavily armed police officers, some armed with rifles and bulletproof shields, he concentrated in the hallway and waited more than an hour before entering and stopping the May 24 killings.
But the images, which until now had not been made public, again distressed Uvalde residents and redoubled calls to the small town in South Texas to demand responsibilities and explanations that have been incomplete – and sometimes inaccurate. the seven weeks after the shooting. Hours after the video was released, some residents at a meeting of Uvalde City Council said they had not been able to get close to see it.
Jesus Rizo said agents who receive taxpayer money to protect people should not have “been there” when the children were in danger.
“You could have saved some lives. You could have grabbed someone’s hand while they were dying,” he said. “The parents could have seen them for the last time while they were dying.”
Others demanded consequences for the police and more information in an investigation marked by confusing statements that have sometimes had to be retracted.
“Leave a lock on these families,” said Daniel Myers, a pastor in Uvalde and a friend of the family of one of the victims.
An investigative committee led by Texas lawmakers had previously announced plans to show the video to UValde residents for the first time on Sunday, in addition to sharing its findings after weeks of closed-door testimony from more than 40 witnesses.
“This has been the most unprofessional research or management I’ve seen in my life,” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an interview with The Associated Press. “These families are constantly blinded.”
Footage of a camera in the hallway inside the school shows the gunman entering the building with an AR-15-style rifle and includes a 911 tape from a teacher shouting, “Get down! Enter the your rooms! Enter your rooms! “
Two officers approach the classrooms minutes after the gunman enters, and then run back amid the sounds of gunfire.
When the gunman first approaches the classrooms, a child can be seen down the hallway poking his head around the corner and then running back as the shots sound. Later, about 20 minutes before police enter the room, the video shows a man wearing a vest saying “sheriff” uses a hand sanitizer dispenser mounted on the wall.
Officials said the 77-minute footage being prepared for release this weekend does not contain images of children in the classroom. Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican leading the investigation, said after the statistician posted the video that “seeing the entire segment of law enforcement response, or lack thereof, is also important.” .
But the video alone does not answer all the questions that remain – almost two months later – about the response of law enforcement. Among them is how school police chief Pete Arredondo took the lead in the massive law enforcement response that involved numerous local, state and federal agencies.
State authorities have appointed Arredondo as commander at the scene and said his mistakes delayed the gunman’s death. Arredondo, however, told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself responsible for the operations and that he assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response. At that time I did not have a police radio.
The roles of classification agents in the scene of other agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, are still unclear. McLaughlin has accused DPS of minimizing its involvement in the response and of releasing inaccurate deadlines.
Last week, a critique of the police response written by tactical experts and requested by the DPS alleged that a UValde police officer had the opportunity to open fire on the gunman before entering to school. McLaughlin said the bill was inaccurate.
“All they keep doing is stacking lost facts on lost facts and throwing them out there and seeing what sticks,” McLaughlin said.
In a statement, DPS director Steve McCraw said the video provides “horrific evidence” that the response from law enforcement was a failure.
Weber reported from Austin, Texas. Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.