This Bodycam Video Shows How Confused Police In Facing Uvalde's Shooting
JAKARTA - Police bodycam video of the shooting at the Uvalde school that killed 19 children and two teachers in May has been released. It is illustrated how confused the police are in dealing with this tense situation.
"People are going to ask why we took so long," said an off-camera officer who was heard as quoted by NBC News, Monday, July 18.
The officer said it was about an hour after security guards first entered Robb Elementary School on May 24.
They realized that the situation inside was precarious. In the end, however, it took the security forces more than an hour to bring down the gunman who was later identified as Salvador Ramos (18 years).
In a series of body camera videos released by the Uvalde Police Department, officers can be seen breaking glass and helping children escape the deadly attack.
In one video taken early in the police response, gunshots can be heard inside the school.
"Am I bleeding?" said one of the officers.
The video later showed blood on his hands and officers said he was bleeding from his ear.
After briefly exiting the school, he can then be heard telling the arriving officer, "We have to get in there."
"The man is in the classroom now," he said of the shooter, Salvador Ramos.
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The Texas House investigation into this mass shooting was a finding of "systemic failure" and poor leadership contributed to the sheer number of victims.
In a 77-page report cited by Reuters, the Texas House of Representatives investigative committee questioned why it took more than an hour for police and other security personnel to raid and incapacitate an 18-year-old shooter at Robb SD on May 24.
In conclusion, the report said, law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene "failed to apply their shooting drills, and they failed to prioritize the safety of the victims over their own safety".
The report also said 376 law enforcement surrounded the school in a chaotic atmosphere characterized by a lack of clear leadership and sufficient emergency action.
"Other than the assailant, the Committee found no other 'criminals' under investigation," the report said.
"Instead, we find systemic failure and poor and terrible decision-making."
The absence of leadership, the report said, had contributed to the loss of life of the victims.
"...the injured victim waited for help for more than an hour, and the assailant continued to fire his weapon sporadically."