The footage was obtained by the Austin-American Statesman.
QUICK FACTS:
- Disturbing footage from the hallway of the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on the day of the mass shooting was has been released.
- The images show the shooter walking the hallway with his firearm, as well as police seeming to hold back in the hallway instead of charging the gunman.
- The shooter, Salvador Ramos, systematically slaughtered 19 students and two teachers on May 24 of this year. The children ranged from 9 to 11 years old.
- The 77-minute clip shows officers rushing into the school moments behind the 18-year-old shooter, but stopping and milling around in the hall instead of confronting the shooter.
- One police officer can be seen in the footage using a hand sanitizer station and checking his phone as they waited to engage the active shooter.
PARENTS’ & AUTHORITIES FRUSTRATIONS VALIDATED:
- The footage validates outrage expressed by parents who were kept from the school by law enforcement, who were also unwilling to engage the shooter.
- Officers were seen looking for keys to a classroom, which was not actually locked in what some considered an inexcusable lapse in judgment.
- Seventy-seven minutes into the recording officers breached the classroom where Rabos had gunned down kids and teachers.
BACKGROUND:
- The video was scheduled to be released by state lawmakers Sunday as officials stated they wanted to give families the opportunity to view it privately.
- The Statesman released an edited version of the footage that showed the key elements of the day, and the paper noted that it edited out “the sound of children screaming.
