A man claiming to be the uncle of the Uvalde school shooter called 911 during the May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School, pleading with the dispatcher to connect him with his nephew in the hope of de-escalating the situation.
“The thing that’s happening at Robb right now, he’s my nephew,” the 911 caller, who identified himself as Armando Ramos, said. “I was wondering, maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me, everything I tell him, he does listen to me.”
The audio of this desperate call was part of a large collection of bodycam and dashcam videos, audio recordings of 911 calls, and other documents released more than two years after the shooting that resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.
Unaware that his nephew was already dead, Ramos expressed hope that a conversation could persuade him to “stand down or do something to turn himself in.”
The conversation lasted just over six minutes, during which Ramos could be heard pleading, “Why did you do this…Why?” and “Please don’t do nothing stupid.”
At one point, he told the dispatcher, “I think he’s shooting kids. He has the classroom hostage.”
Ramos mentioned that his nephew was with him the night before the shooting, along with other family members. He noted that he was not aware of any behavioral changes in the shooter before the incident, but did mention that his nephew had said his grandmother was “bugging” him.
Families Continue to Demand Accountability
For the families of the victims, the release of this audio and other documents was long overdue. Law enforcement has faced intense criticism for their inadequate response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
While victims lay wounded, it took 376 law enforcement officers 77 minutes to confront and kill the gunman after he entered the school through an unlocked door. More than 90 officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety were among the first to arrive on the scene.
In one of the 911 calls, a 10-year-old girl trapped in a classroom told the dispatcher to “hurry” as there were “a lot of dead bodies.”
Brett Cross, whose nephew Uziyah Garcia, 10, was killed in the massacre, expressed that families were not given advance notice of the documents being released, but he emphasized that it was long overdue.
“If we thought we could get anything we wanted, we’d ask for a time machine to go back in time and save our children, but we can’t, so all we are asking for is for justice, accountability, and transparency, and they refuse to give this to us,” Cross said.
Jesse Rizo, the uncle of Jacklyn Cazares, 9, who was also killed in the shooting, noted that the release of documents reignites anger, as they illustrate just how long law enforcement waited. “Perhaps if they were to have breached earlier, they would have saved some lives, including my niece’s,” he told the media.
As criticism mounted in the aftermath of the massacre, some officers expressed concerns for their own safety, as revealed in text messages released recently. In a series of messages, officers expressed fear for their safety and requested that their photos be removed from the department’s website, feeling they were being blamed for the failed response.
In a news conference after the shooting, the Texas Department of Public Safety Director stated that the on-scene commander made the wrong decision and failed to act quickly enough to confront the shooter. He noted that the first officers on scene, including local Uvalde Police Department, acted against active shooter training by initially retreating and did not regain the momentum to neutralize the shooter.
The release of these documents and the ongoing discussions surrounding the incident have sparked a larger conversation about accountability and the protocols in place for law enforcement during active shooter situations. As these discussions continue, it is essential for law enforcement agencies to reevaluate their training and response strategies to ensure the safety of all individuals in such critical situations.
The implications of this incident extend beyond Uvalde, as it has the potential to influence policy changes at local, state, and national levels. The call for accountability and transparency from families of victims is a critical aspect of this ongoing conversation. As the public demands more from law enforcement, agencies must adapt to these expectations.
As we look to the future, it is likely that we will see a shift in how law enforcement agencies are trained to respond to active shooter situations. Increased emphasis on rapid response, clear communication, and de-escalation strategies will likely be at the forefront of these changes. Furthermore, the integration of mental health resources for officers and the communities they serve could be a vital aspect of future training programs.
In conclusion, the Uvalde shooting has not only impacted the families of the victims but has also sparked a national conversation about gun violence, law enforcement accountability, and the need for systemic changes in how active shooter situations are handled. As we move forward, it is essential for all stakeholders to engage in this dialogue to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.