A new video obtained and released by two Texas news outlets shows the gunman walking into the Uvalde, Texas elementary school on May 24, later firing at unseen targets as police milled about during the massacre in which 21 people died.
The video obtained and edited by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV of Austin, shows the officers arriving at Robb Elementary School on May 24, three minutes after the gunman was seen entering the school and walking down an empty hallway.
Dallas Morning News:
Criticism of the law enforcement response in Uvalde became sharper Tuesday after footage from the school’s hallway, published by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, revealed shocking inaction by officers — including a break for hand sanitizer, a fist bump and a hug between officers.
The video, edited to remove children’s screams, is the first to be shown to the public, defying the Uvalde County district attorney’s orders to contain it. State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, had vowed to release the footage Sunday afternoon after providing families and the Uvalde community an opportunity to see it first, leading many to express outrage over the leak.
In the published footage, adults can be heard frantically yelling at students to “get in your rooms” as gunfire is heard in the background.
Shortly after the gunman turns a corner inside the school, a student who has been blurred out down the hall and watches the gunman going down the hallway at about 11:33 a.m. in the published footage. Suddenly, gunfire is heard and the student runs away.
The gunman then heads toward adjoining classrooms 111 and 112, where he would fire off nearly 100 rounds of ammunition for about two minutes, according to police. Around 11:36 a.m., responding officers are seen running into the school.
The Statesman is publishing an edited version of the video to show how the law enforcement response unfolded.
****GRAPHIC VIDEO****
Warning: The video footage and audio is disturbing. Viewer discretion is advised.
Video from inside Robb Elementary and body camera footage from a responding officer show how Uvalde officers responded to the active shooter. Full story and video: https://t.co/Pscj2Ruvh5 pic.twitter.com/y1hd52Q4Rf
— Austin Statesman (@statesman) July 12, 2022
Fort Worth Star Telegram:
The video shows in real-time what law enforcement in Uvalde had initially denied and obfuscated: What had taken so long for law enforcement to do anything? The truth is more brutal and stark than any parent could imagine: Law enforcement officers were there, within minutes. Had they summoned their courage and executed their training immediately, lives could have been saved.
The release of this video, however shocking, demonstrates the need for all the other documents and videos related to this shooting to be released as well: 911 call transcripts, body camera footage, and more. If Attorney General Ken Paxton seeks truth and justice, he must not stand in the way.
And the video should be circulated in every single police department in the country as a lesson in cowardice and tactical errors. If lessons can be learned, it’s the least we can do for the victims and survivors in Uvalde.