A new video showing panicked parents trying to enter the Texas school where the shooting just happened on Tuesday has surfaced amid growing questions regarding the speed of the police response.
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According to information collected by several media, including the MailOnline, Salvador Ramos, 18, arrived at Uvalde Elementary School at 11:30 a.m., following swerving into a ditch with his vehicle.
A school security guard was there, but he was unable to stop him from entering the building.
AFP
Two police officers also rushed to the school at that time.
Ramos had just shot his grandmother, in the face, at their residence less than five miles away. The lady who survived called the police.
AFP
After arriving at the school, Ramos allegedly fired on the officers, then ran inside to barricade himself in a fourth-grade classroom. This is where he shot 19 children and two teachers.
90 minutes passed from that point before police declared the shooting over.
Some sources report that the police simply mightn’t get into the classroom, and needed a key to open the door. It was not possible to smash it.
AFP
A Border Patrol agent was able to get inside and the shooting was declared over at 1.06pm, the MailOnline reports.
Many wonder why it took the police so long to enter the classroom where the children were trapped with the shooter.
AFP
A child who managed to hide under a desk told local media KENS 5 that a young girl who had cried for help had been executed by the gunman.
“When the police came he said, ‘Shout if you need help!’ And one of the people in my class said “help”. The guy heard, he came in and shot him. The policeman burst into this classroom. The guy shot him. And the police started shooting,” said the boy.
Listen to Benoît Dutrizac’s interview with Donald Cuccioletta on QUB Radio:
As the drama unfolded inside, panicked parents showed up at the school grounds for news. Some parents even try to enter the school to rescue their children.
Footage shows a relative pinned to the ground by an officer, while another carrying a taser stands guard nearby.
Other footage shows parents pleading with the police, “What are you doing!? Enter the building!”
However, the time at which these images were shot is not known.
The first 911 call was received at 11:32 a.m. Tuesday and the shooter was killed at 1 p.m., following officers finally managed to enter the classroom.
Some witnesses and relatives of victims claim that the police on the scene did not enter the school once there, but were instead gathered outside.
Parents have even considered entering the school to neutralize the shooter themselves.
“The situation might have been over quickly if they had had better tactical training, and we as a community saw that first hand,” said a parent.
Public Safety Department director Steve McCraw told reporters that 40 minutes to an hour passed between the time Salvador Ramos, 18, opened fire on the school security guard and the moment the tactical team shot him.
