Uvalde S New Anxiety Video Shows Police Waiting At School

UVALDE, Texas (AP) – A new wave of anger swept through Uvalde on Tuesday after surveillance video showed police in body armor in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman went on a rampage inside a fourth-grade classroom where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
The video published Tuesday by the Austin American-Statesman is a disturbing 80-minute record of what has been known for weeks about one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history: that heavily armed police officers, some armed with rifles and bulletproof vests shields, gathered in the corridor and waited for more than an hour before entering and stopping the May 24 killings.
But the video, which until now had not been shown publicly, has again rattled Uvalde residents and redoubled calls in the small South Texas town for accountability and explanations that have been lacking — and sometimes inaccurate — in the seven weeks since the shooting.  Hours after the video was posted, some residents at a Uvalde City Council meeting said they were unable to watch it.
Jesus Rizo said officers who are paid with taxpayer dollars to protect people shouldn’t be “sitting there” when children were in danger.
“You could have saved a few lives.  You could hold someone’s hand as they died,” he said.  “The parents could have seen them one last time as they were dying.”
Others called for consequences for police and more information in an investigation marked by confusing statements that had to be retracted at times.
“Give these families some closure,” said Daniel Myers, a pastor in Uvalde and a family friend of one of the victims.
An investigative committee led by Texas lawmakers earlier announced plans to show the video to Uvalde residents for the first time Sunday, in addition to sharing their findings after weeks of behind-closed-doors testimony from more than 40 witnesses.
“This was the most unprofessional investigation or handling I’ve ever seen in my life,” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin told The Associated Press.  “These families are being blindsided all the time.”
Video from a hallway camera inside the school shows the gunman entering the building with an AR-15-style rifle and includes 911 tape of a teacher screaming, “Get down!  Enter your rooms!  Go to your rooms!”
Two police officers approach the classrooms moments after the gunman enters, then run back amid the sounds of gunfire.
As the gunman first approaches the classrooms, a child in the hallway can see his head around the corner, then run back as gunshots ring out.  Later, about 20 minutes before police burst into the room, the video shows a man wearing a vest that says “sheriff” using a wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispenser.
Officials said the 77 minutes of footage set to be released this weekend does not contain images of children in the classroom.  Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican who is leading the investigation, said after the Statesman published the video that “watching the full body of law enforcement’s response, or lack thereof, is also important.”
But the video alone doesn’t answer all the questions that remain — nearly two months later — about law enforcement’s response.  Among them is how schools police Chief Pete Arredondo came to the forefront of the massive law enforcement response involving multiple local, state and federal agencies.
State authorities named Arredondo as the commander at the scene and said his mistakes delayed police from killing the gunman.  Arredondo, however, told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself responsible for the operations and that he assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response.  He didn’t have a police radio at the time.
The roles of ranking officers on the scene from other agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, remain unclear.  McLaughlin accused DPS of minimizing its involvement in the response and publishing inaccurate timelines.
Last week, a review of the police response written by tactics experts and requested by DPS alleged that a Uvalde police officer had the opportunity to open fire on the gunman before he entered the school.  McLaughlin said the account was inaccurate.
“All they’re doing is piling up lost evidence on lost events and throwing it out there and seeing what sticks,” McLaughlin said.
In a statement, DPS Director Steve McCraw said the video provides “horrifying evidence” that law enforcement’s response was a failure.
Weber reported from Austin, Texas.  Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.

title: “Uvalde S New Anxiety Video Shows Police Waiting At School " ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-11” author: “Glenn Heatly”

WARNING: The footage and details of this story may be disturbing to some
UVALDE, Texas (AP) – A new wave of anger swept through Uvalde on Tuesday after surveillance video showed police in body armor in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman went on a rampage inside a fourth-grade classroom where 19 children and two teachers were killed.
The video published Tuesday by the Austin American-Statesman is a disturbing 80-minute record of what has been known for weeks about one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history: that heavily armed police officers, some armed with rifles and bulletproof vests shields, gathered in the corridor and waited for more than an hour before entering and stopping the May 24 killings.
But the video, which until now had not been shown publicly, has again rattled Uvalde residents and redoubled calls in the small South Texas town for accountability and explanations that have been lacking — and sometimes inaccurate — in the seven weeks since the shooting.  Hours after the video was posted, some residents at a Uvalde City Council meeting said they were unable to watch it.
Jesus Rizo said officers who are paid with taxpayer dollars to protect people shouldn’t be “sitting there” when children were in danger.
“You could have saved a few lives.  You could hold someone’s hand as they died,” he said.  “The parents could have seen them one last time as they were dying.”
Others called for consequences for police and more information in an investigation marked by confusing statements that had to be retracted at times.
“Give these families some closure,” said Daniel Myers, a pastor in Uvalde and a family friend of one of the victims.
An investigative committee led by Texas lawmakers earlier announced plans to show the video to Uvalde residents for the first time Sunday, in addition to sharing their findings after weeks of behind-closed-doors testimony from more than 40 witnesses.
“This was the most unprofessional investigation or handling I’ve ever seen in my life,” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an interview with The Associated Press.  “These families are being blindsided all the time.”
Video from a hallway camera inside the school shows the gunman entering the building with an AR-15-style rifle and includes 911 tape of a teacher screaming, “Get down!  Enter your rooms!  Go to your rooms!”
Two police officers approach the classrooms moments after the gunman enters, then run back amid the sounds of gunfire.
As the gunman first approaches the classrooms, a child in the hallway can see his head around the corner, then run back as gunshots ring out.  Later, about 20 minutes before police burst into the room, the video shows a man wearing a vest that says “sheriff” using a wall-mounted hand sanitizer dispenser.
Officials said the 77 minutes of footage set to be released this weekend does not contain images of children in the classroom.  Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican who is leading the investigation, said after the Statesman published the video that “watching the full body of law enforcement’s response, or lack thereof, is also important.”
But the video alone doesn’t answer all the questions that remain — nearly two months later — about law enforcement’s response.  Among them is how schools police Chief Pete Arredondo came to the forefront of the massive law enforcement response involving multiple local, state and federal agencies.
State authorities named Arredondo as the commander at the scene and said his mistakes delayed police from killing the gunman.  Arredondo, however, told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself responsible for the operations and that he assumed someone else had taken control of the law enforcement response.  He didn’t have a police radio at the time.
The roles of ranking officers on the scene from other agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, remain unclear.  McLaughlin accused DPS of minimizing its involvement in the response and publishing inaccurate timelines.
Last week, a review of the police response written by tactics experts and requested by DPS alleged that a Uvalde police officer had the opportunity to open fire on the gunman before he entered the school.  McLaughlin said the account was inaccurate.
“All they’re doing is piling up lost evidence on lost events and throwing it out there and seeing what sticks,” McLaughlin said.
In a statement, DPS Director Steve McCraw said the video provides “horrifying evidence” that the law enforcement response was a failure.
Weber reported from Austin, Texas.  Associated Press writer Jake Bleiberg in Dallas contributed to this report.