‘If I Thought It Would Help, I Would Apologize’: Reporters Hammer Texas Official on Delay to Enter Uvalde Classroom
Steven McCraw, the Texas Department of Public Safety director, briefed reporters on Friday and was peppered with questions about why authorities waited so long to enter the classroom in Robb Elementary School where the shooter had barricaded himself inside with children.
“The decision was made on the scene. I wasn’t there, but at the same point in time, you know, the decision was made that this was a barricaded subject situation,” McCraw said of the reported hour delay to enter.
“There was time to retrieve the keys and wait for a tactical team with the equipment to go ahead and breach the door and take on the subject at that point. That was the decision, the thought process of that particular point in time,” he said.
Reporters shot back, shouting questions at McCraw, with one clearly asking if he would apologize and another asking what he would say to the parents.
“There were 19 officers there. In fact, there were plenty of officers to do whatever needed to be done with one exception is that the incident commander inside believed they needed more equipment and more officers to do a tactical breach at that point,” he responded to be pushed further as to the delay to enter the school where 21 people were murdered.
“That is why BORTAC was requested on the scene as soon as they were there they executed a search early, a dynamic entry, and went in and of course that was not until 12:57,” he continued as reporters continued to shout questions.
“Hey, with the benefit of hindsight. Hey standby. Standby. Hey. Standby. I’ve got it. I’ve got it. Okay. Hey, for the benefit of hindsight where I am sitting now, of course it was not the right decision it was the wrong decision period,” he added.
“There is no excuse for that. Again, I wasn’t there but I am just telling you from what we know we believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can, hey, when there is an active shooter the rules change,” McCraw added.
“It is no longer, okay? It is no longer a barricaded subject. You don’t have time. You don’t worry about a matter of perimeters,” he explained. “By the way, active shooter training, active shooter certification.”
“That doctrine requires officers, we don’t care what agency you are from you don’t need a leader on the scene. Every officer lines up stacks up, goes and finds where the rounds are being fired at, and keeps shooting to the subject is dead period,” he added as reporters again rained down questions on him.
As the presser continued, McCraw detailed more of the timeline and continued to take questions regarding the delay to enter the school.
“We know the parents of the children who died are watching right now and hearing you say not everything that could possibly have been done as humanly fast as could be done was not done. Are they owed an apology from somebody?” Asked a reporter later in the presser.
“If I thought it would help I would apologize. But, hey, let me say this. Let me say this. When you go back in the timeline again I want to go back and I’m not defending anything. You go back in the timeline, there was a barrage of hundreds of rounds were pumped in and 4 minutes into those two classrooms. Any firing afterwards was sporadic and it was at the door,” McCraw added.
“The belief is that there may not be anybody living anymore and that the subject is now trying to keep law enforcement at bay or entice them to come in and suicide by cop,” he said as the press conference continued.
Watch the full clip above via Fox News
