The Uvalde Police Department has continued to be on the receiving end of backlash over their response to the Robb Elementary School shooting that stunned America. Investigations into the response from police officers are ongoing, and according to reports, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has blamed Police Chief Pete Arredondo for keeping officers at bay while 18-year-old Salvador Ramos slaughtered 19 children and two teachers.
KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman recently obtained video footage that showed the incident in its entirety, and the distressing footage only further placed police under scrutiny. The video shows grainy footage of Ramos crashing his vehicle outside of the building before jumping out and firing shots at two people walking near the school.
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There is also surveillance footage of Robb Elementary’s hallway that shows Ramos entering with his rifle. At this point, teachers had reportedly already called students to their classrooms to safety, and Ramos is seen wandering around. It reportedly took officers approximately three minutes to arrive at the scene, and after a brief exchange with Ramos, they stayed inside of the hall as they could hear shots being fired elsewhere.
Surveillance cameras also captured officers casually using hand sanitizer, checking their phones as they paced the hall in full tactical gear, and running away when they heard shots fired inside of a classroom. It was reported that Police Chief Arrendondo treated the scene as a barricaded suspect, and in those cases, authorities aren’t as quick to react. Clips of the video circulated far and wide and reactions from the public were scathing.
During a city meeting, the mayor of Uvalde blasted the media for releasing the video, even though he was aware that it would be made public. You can watch the full video below, but as a warning, it may be disturbing to some viewers.
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