Uvalde Police Prevented Border Patrol From Entering School to Stop Gunman For Almost an Hour – Report

Texas officials are continuing to come under scrutiny over their response to the Uvalde elementary school shooting as reports indicate there was a major delay in tactical teams breaching the school to take out the gunman, who took more than 20 lives.

According to two officials briefed on the situation told the New York Times for a Friday report that a Border Patrol tactical team, which was requested to the scene by police, were actually ordered to delay their entry into the school as the gunman was barricaded in a classroom with students.

The tactical team arrived at the scene around noon, but did not breach until nearly an hour later, the officials saying local police were telling them to hold back.

According to Texas Department of Safety head Steven McCraw, the on-scene commander at the time thought the situation had “transitioned” from an active shooter situation to a “barricade” shooter situation with no children at risk, which he admitted was the “wrong” decision in hindsight.

While the shooter was in the room, which included two adjoined classrooms, multiple children dialed 911 and asked for help, including survivor Mariah Cerillo, who also described to CNN on Friday the shooter playing “sad” music while he waited in the room. She covered herself in blood and played dead to survive.

During this delay in breaching the room, police said they were evacuating students and teachers. One parent at the scene said she was put in handcuffs at the scene after insisting police move in, and she claimed to see another parent tasered and another pepper sprayed.

According to McCraw, there were police in the building, but they did not breach the room at the order of the on-scene commander who believed there was time to “organize” with better equipment and more officers.