Police officers arrived with rifles, ballistic shield 19 minutes after shooter entered Uvalde school

‘If there’s kids in there, we need to go in there’

According to documents examined by the American-Statesman, multiple law enforcement officers were stationed in a school hallway armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield within 19 minutes of a gunman arriving on the campus in Uvalde, Texas. This information raises additional questions regarding the possibility that any lives could have been saved during the deadly attack.

The documents show that the gunman continued to fire rounds even as officers armed with high-powered guns and ballistic shields gathered within the blue and green hallway. One of the shots was heard at 12:21 p.m., which was 29 minutes before officers entered the classroom and killed him.

The most recent intelligence, according to the investigators, suggests that the cops had more than sufficient weaponry and protection to take down the gunman a long time before they actually did. The shooting at Robb Elementary School resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two instructors.

The majority of the new information is expected to be presented at a hearing that will take place in the Texas Senate on Tuesday. This hearing is the first of two days in a row that will take place at the state Capitol and will give members of the general public their first opportunity to address lawmakers on gun violence and issues related to it.

Since shortly after the shooting, state and federal authorities have been looking into the response that law enforcement officials gave to the massacre. On May 27, the Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, disclosed that cops delayed more than 70 minutes before confronting the shooter, even though fourth graders who were trapped inside two classrooms were desperately phoning 911 for help.

The delayed response was inconsistent with the widely acknowledged policy for law enforcement, which was formed in response to a number of tragic school shootings around the country and called for authorities to stop the shooter in a swift and decisive manner.

Officers ultimately penetrated a classroom door at 12:50 p.m., according to the most recent timeline that was released in the investigative records that were examined by the Statesman, which is part of the FOX3 News. The gunman had entered the classroom at 11:33 a.m.

The events of May 24 have been pieced together by the authorities using film from within the school. This tape showed the gunman entering the school in a casual manner from a rear entrance, heading to a classroom, and instantly spraying gunfire before barricading himself inside. In addition to that, the timeline was constructed using body camera footage from more than a dozen cops who were currently inside the school.

New information suggests that 11 law enforcement officers reached the school within three minutes of the gunman entering the building. At 11:40 a.m., Pete Arredondo, who served as chief of the Uvalde school district police force, placed a call to a landline at the Uvalde Police Department in order to request assistance.

He referred to the current situation as an urgent matter. “He is currently present in the room. He is armed with an AR-15 rifle. He’s taken a lot of bullets… Because we do not now have access to fire power, it is imperative that they remain outside the building and be prepared. It’s a gunfight to the finish.

He went on to say, “I don’t have a radio.” “I require your assistance in bringing a radio to me.”

After four minutes, the footage from the body camera detected more rounds being fired by the gunman. At 11:52 a.m., a cop armed with the first ballistic shield entered the school, despite the fact that other officers were becoming increasingly agitated.

One of the officers stated to the other, “If there are kids in there, we need to go in there.” A third participant chimed in, saying, “Whoever is in control will decide that.”

Despite the fact that officials have stated that they do not believe officers attempted to enter the door to the classroom, a transcript of body camera footage from officers shows that Arredondo was trying to find keys to open the door.

At 12:03, another cop armed with a ballistic shield entered the school, and two minutes later, a third law enforcement officer arrived on the scene.

According to the newly discovered material, Arredondo also attempted to communicate with the shooter by asking him whether or not he could hear him.

Approximately thirty minutes prior to the breach, Arredondo wondered out loud whether the officers would contemplate “popping him through the window? Could you perhaps position two shooters on either side of the window? I suggest we bust through those windows and shoot the (crap) out of his head through the windows.

According to the timetable, Arredondo instructed the SWAT team police who had arrived at 12:46 p.m. to breach the classroom door if they were prepared to do so.

After the attacker had been killed, the footage shows medical personnel attending to children who were still in the hallway where the shooting occurred.

Officials have also not given records requested by media outlets under public information laws, including The Associated Press. When questioned about this, they frequently cited broad exemptions as well as the current inquiry. Concerns have been raised over the possibility that such records would be made public, even to the relatives of victims.