A chilling first image of the inside of the Texas shooting school as the carnage unfolded has surfaced, prompting new questions about why cops didn’t assault the room where the shooter was earlier.
The corridor of Robb Elementary School, as seen from above on an overhead video camera, appears to be similar to any other American elementary school, with a cream linoleum surface and blue and green painted walls.
However, only the bottom of the still photograph, taken at 11:52 a.m. on May 24, gives any indication of the horror unfolding close. Two Uvalde Police Department officers are shown with guns in their hands, and one has a ballistic shield in front of him.
The Austin-American Statesman and KVUE received the image of well-armed cops with a technique of deflecting gunshots on Monday night.
It’s also raised new questions about why gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, wasn’t apprehended sooner, before he could kill 19 students and two teachers in his school.
Ramos had entered the school 19 minutes before and started shooting.
However, cops would not enter the classroom where he was murdering children for another 58 minutes, despite the fact that the new photograph showed they had both a means of self-defense and a method of capturing Ramos.
It has been revealed that Texas police equipped with a ballistic shield and rifle were inside the Uvalde school’s halls 19 minutes after the gunman entered the facility, raising concerns about why the policemen did not enter the classroom for another 58 minutes.
Parents and families of the 19 students and two teachers killed on May 24 are furious, demanding to know why the 18-year-old gunman was allowed to go on killing spree for nearly 90 minutes.
At 11:33 a.m., he entered the school and was shot dead at 12:50 p.m.
The gunman was entrenched inside, away from the children, according to Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde school district police chief, who demanded more equipment for the cops before they stepped in.
However, the youngsters were ringing 911 for assistance, and cops outside were pleading with Arredondo to let them in.
The Austin-American Statesman got the first photographs from inside the school on Monday, which showed officers in the corridor around 11:52 a.m.
One has a long rifle and a ballistic shield. The other is armed with a gun.
It took 58 minutes for officers to break down the door and shoot the gunman, Salvador Ramos.
The photograph will put even more pressure on the cops to come open about what they knew and done at what time.
A hearing will be conducted in Austin on Tuesday to provide more information, with the new photograph and others likely to be disclosed.
The newspaper also got transcripts showing Arredondo pleading for assistance.
Eleven officers were inside the building three minutes after Ramos entered it.
Arredondo requested assistance from the Uvalde Police Department around 11:40 a.m., seven minutes after Ramos entered Robb Elementary.
‘Right now, it’s an emergency,’ he added.
‘He’s in the room with us.’ He’s armed with an AR-15. He’s been shot numerous times.
‘They need to be prepared outside the building since we don’t have any weaponry at the moment.’ It’s all about the pistols.’
‘I don’t have a radio,’ Arredondo remarked. I’d like you to bring me a radio.’
Body camera footage captured more bullets from the gunman four minutes later, at 11:44 a.m.
The policemen were then photographed wearing a ballistic shield at 11:52 a.m.
According to bodycamera transcripts, one officer said, “If there are kids in there, we need to go in there.”
‘Whoever is in control will decide that,’ said another.
Despite the fact that the officers were armed with weapons, Arredondo persisted on finding the keys to open the door.
A second cop with a ballistic shield entered the school at 12:03 p.m., and a third officer arrived two minutes later.
Arredondo attempted to communicate with the gunman about 12:20 p.m., 45 minutes after the massacre began, and then pondered if he could be killed from outside the classroom.
Officers might consider ‘popping him through the window,’ Arredondo asked.
‘Get two shooters on either side of the window,’ he urged. I propose that we break through those windows and shoot his (expletive) skull out.’
Arredondo instructed SWAT team cops who had arrived at 12:46 p.m. that if they were ready, they should break down the classroom door.
They completed the task four minutes later.
On Governor Greg Abbott’s orders, the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans, which will hold hearings in Austin on Tuesday and Wednesday, will not consider gun restrictions.
The Senate will hear from invited witnesses and the general public on three concerns on Tuesday: school safety, police training, and social media.
Experts on mental health and weapon safety will testify before the committee of eight Republicans and three Democrats on Wednesday.