Yesterday (June 20), new footage was released that appears to show Uvalde police officers armed with rifles and at least on ballistic shield waiting in a hallway during the attack at Robb Elementary School. As previously reported by REVOLT, on May 24, a gunman entered the Texas elementary school and opened fire. In total, 21 people were killed, including 19 students and two teachers. Eighteen-year-old Salvador Ramos was named as a suspect and fatally shot by law enforcement during the attack.
After receiving extreme backlash regarding their response time, more information is available. The Austin American-Statesman reports that heavily armed officers arrived at the scene within 19 minutes of the shooting and remained in the hallway without action as trapped and terrified victims called out for help. It was first believed that officers did not have the proper equipment to disarm the shooter and required backup, however, still images from surveillance video seem to prove otherwise.
“Investigators really believe at this point, based on my understanding, that that was certainly enough firepower to try and take on the gunman,” a reporter for the Austin American-Statesman told an NBC News correspondent for TODAY. Officers reportedly waited another hour before taking action.
A Texas Senate hearing is scheduled for today and Wednesday (June 22) at the Capitol, with these new details and others expected to be shared. During this time, community members will have the opportunity to give lawmakers their take on the traumatic situation and other gun-related issues.
According to CNN, Uvalde school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo was among the responding officers who remained actionless during the deadly shooting. Sources say a school board meeting was held in Uvalde last night with several community members calling for Arredondo to resign.
“The question of why they were not directed to go in, and who should have been giving that direction? I think those are questions that the investigators — state, federal and local — are going to be focusing on for a long while,” Texas Tribune Editor-in-Chief Sewell Chan told TODAY Tuesday.