The stories that have emerged from the tragic school shooting in Uvalde, Texas have not only been heart-wrenching, but infuriating as well.
That’s because, as an 18 year-old shooter was committing a massacre within Robb Elementary School, law enforcement officers were simply not responding. Some remained outside of the school, refusing to enter the building despite the wailing pleas of parents and bystanders.
Now we’ve learned that those who did have the courage to enter the school never even tried to enter the classroom where the carnage was playing out, despite very explicit training that would have seen them do just that.
For 77 minutes, Uvalde police officers stood by as accused gunman Salvador Ramos rampaged through Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers. New surveillance footage reportedly shows that those sworn to serve and protect didn’t even bother wiggling the door handle to get into the classroom.
Responding police officers appear to have assumed the doors to classrooms 111 and 112 were locked without actually checking, a source told the San Antonio News-Express Saturday. Instead, they waited around for a master key until, more than an hour later, a Border Patrol tactical team killed the suspect.
And also:
The same source told the News-Express that even without the key, officers had almost immediate access to a crowbar-like tool that should have been able to pry the door open, if it was locked at all.
The news will almost certainly raise more questions about the abilities and efficacy of the Uvalde Police, and at a time in which the department’s tepid response is already under great scrutiny.
