‘Go in There!’ Exasperated Onlookers Urged Cops to Rush School as Gunman Was Inside
Bystanders outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas pleaded with law enforcement officers to rush the school as a gunman was inside, the Associated Press reported late Wednesday night.
Separately, a video posted online – which appears authentic – purports to show onlookers yelling at police outside a perimeter around the school.
An 18-year-old shooter murdered 19 children and two teachers at the school on Tuesday. Eventually, he was killed by a tactical unit from Border Patrol.
An eyewitness named Juan Carranza told the AP that people outside the school shouted at officers to enter the school as the gunman was inside.
“Go in there! Go in there!” they yelled.
According to a New York Times report published earlier on Wednesday, the shooter was inside the school for roughly one hour as police waited outside.
And a Washington Post report – published after the AP piece – gave a more detailed, albeit incomplete account.
It stated the school announced a “lockdown” on Facebook by 11:43 a.m., and that shots were still being heard as of 12:52 p.m., at which time a voice on an EMS channel warned, “Do not attempt to get closer.”
At 1:06 p.m., Uvalde policed declared the situation was over.
Here is the Post’s account:
One lingering question is when exactly the shooting began. Authorities agree that the gunman was dead by 1 p.m. but have offered conflicting accounts as to whether the attack began around 11:30 a.m. or closer to noon. By 11:43 a.m., the school announced on Facebook that it was under lockdown, citing gunshots in the area. “The students and staff are safe in the building,” it said.
In public transmissions on a radio channel used by local EMS workers, someone said at 11:53 a.m. that a lieutenant had requested a response to the area of the school. As the response was discussed, one official was heard telling first responders: “Please, just stay back.”
[…]
By 12:10 p.m., a Facebook live stream recorded outside the front of the school showed police cars had established a perimeter, helicopters were flying overhead and onlookers had gathered. Seven minutes later, school authorities announced on social media there was “an active shooter at Robb Elementary.”
After hearing shooting, authorities said, a tactical team formed a “stack” formation and eventually breached the classroom door and killed Ramos in a shootout. Ramos was in the room for some time before police officers entered, and it was unclear whether he killed the students when he first barricaded himself inside or just before the police breached the room.
At 1:06 p.m., Uvalde Police announced on social media that the attack was over.
Shots were still being heard at 12:52 p.m., according to radio recordings. “Do not attempt to get closer,” a voice warned on the EMS channel.
Given the school’s 11:43 a.m. Facebook announcement of the “lockdown” due to “gunshots in the area,” as well as the reports of gunfire as late as 12:52 p.m., some parents were able to make it to the scene as the incident was ongoing.
The AP report said Javier Cazares, whose fourth-grade daughter was killed in the shooting, arrived at the school when police while still outside. Cazares was “upset that police were not moving in.” In response, he told he AP he floated the idea of storming the school with other bystanders.
“Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” he said during the incident.
“They were unprepared,” Cazares said afterward.
Indeed, one video purports to show bystanders and/or students’ parents outside a police perimeter. In the video, cops are seen holding back individuals who are literally wailing and screaming with concern.
This video make so much more sense now. The cops literally stopped parents from helping their kids. pic.twitter.com/zhQfUjlpjd https://t.co/DqgZUH3uCC
— Matt Novak (@paleofuture) May 26, 2022
Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN the gunman had “barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers that were inside that classroom.”
However, the AP reported the gunman was finally killed by law enforcement after a member of school staff merely used a key to unlock the door to the room where the gunman was.
“Meanwhile, a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation said the Border Patrol agents had trouble breaching the classroom door and had to get a staff member to open the room with a key,” the AP stated. “The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the ongoing investigation.”
