The nation has been rocked by the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The small border town has been hit with unimaginable tragedy this week. Salvador Ramos, 18, shot and killed 19 students and two teachers. Irma Garcia was one of those teachers killed in the horrific shooting. Her family endured more heartache after her husband, Joe Garcia, suffered a fatal heart attack days after the shooting. They leave behind four children. What's made this shooting even worse is that it looks like a) it was preventable and b) the police response was bungled. The next part is something I really don't want to read about but brace yourselves—it's coming. And it won't be pretty.
It certainly won't help these grieving families who are just shattered right now. The unveiling of the timeline of this shooting got rocked when the Associated Press obtained a video of police standing around, being urged by concerned parents to enter the school. Texas Department of Public Safety did not have a good rollout, doling out conflicting information. It was initially reported that a school security guard had engaged Ramos and that two other officers were injured as well. That's partially true. Two officers were grazed, but the school resource officer was not on campus. Ramos appears to have entered the school unopposed. He barricaded himself in one of the classrooms. The doors lock from the inside.
Now, police were on the scene within minutes of his opening fire, several for that matter. But it was an hour before the tactical team arrived on the scene. The incident commander at the time appears to have believed that no kids were in the classroom, so the police thought they could take their time and obtain keys from a janitor to breach the classroom where Ramos was holed up. Kids were inside, however.
A Texas official now says that the door that the shooter used to enter the school was propped open by a teacher. pic.twitter.com/bYWvHIBXqB
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 27, 2022
A Texas official continues to try and explain why police decided to wait instead of confront the shooter. pic.twitter.com/LwnRjqBHJW
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 27, 2022
After a tumultuous 48 hours in which Texas DPS was engulfed in a public relations nightmare, Col. Steven McCraw of Texas DPS gave a final timeline and admitted law enforcement's failure in responding to the shooting in the manner fitting to the situation. Officers are trained to respond to an active shooter and neutralize the threat at all costs. He admitted the delay was a mistake. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is reportedly furious at having been misled about the situation. The breakdown in the response has prompted a Department of Justice investigation. It's a mess.
How many kids died from the time Ramos barricaded himself in the classroom to when police breached the door? It's a 48-minute window. McCraw said he didn't know during Friday's presser. We will know soon—and it will probably be devastating. Multiple 911 calls were made from students and staff at the school. I find it hard to believe that police at the scene felt that the room was empty. There were 911 calls, guys. What the hell happened?
REPORTER: "How many students died in those 48 minutes?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 27, 2022
Texas official: "I don't have that answer. We're looking at it right now." pic.twitter.com/EvYktmfU4I
This community is shattered. Texas DPS and law enforcement look unprepared and at a loss regarding their response. The media response by Texas authorities was abysmal, yes—but the vultures in the media have only exacerbated the problem. Of course, they're peddling the usual anti-gun talking points. Democrats are hoping this issue can help blunt some of their projected 2022 midterm losses. The calls for action here are cynical and politically motivated. It's all-around bad, but the worst is yet to come.
The Texas DPS just told us that there were 19 police officers in the hallway at Robb Elementary who made the decision not to break into the room where children were being shot bc they believed it turned into a barricade situation, while children inside were alive and calling 911.
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) May 27, 2022
