Yet More Questions Are Raised Regarding Police Response in Uvalde

Officers arrived earlier, and with more gear, than originally thought: reports
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 21, 2022 1:59 AM CDT
Officers Arrived at Uvalde School Earlier, and With More Gear, Than Originally Thought
Reggie Daniels pays his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on June 9, 2022, honoring the two teachers and 19 students killed in the shooting at the school on May 24.   (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

Days after the revelation that police responding to the Uvalde school massacre last month didn't try the Robb Elementary School classroom door behind which the shooter was killing 21 people, another revelation raises more questions about the law enforcement response to the tragedy: According to documents and surveillance footage from inside the school reviewed by KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman, within 19 minutes of the shooter's arrival on campus, multiple officers with rifles and at least one ballistic shield were on the scene. That's earlier than has previously been reported. The officers remained in the hallway outside the classroom for almost an hour after that, according to the reports.

Investigators believe this shows the police on the scene had enough firepower and protection to enter the classroom, according to KVUE. The newly released video shows that 11 officers were on the scene even earlier, within three minutes of the shooter's arrival, but that the first ballistic shield did not arrive until the 19-minute mark. The latest information on the massacre, and the law enforcement response to it, will be presented Tuesday at the first of two consecutive days of a a Texas Senate hearing on the tragedy. Members of the public will be allowed to speak to lawmakers at the Capitol. (More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)

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