Uvalde Classroom Door Wasn’t Locked, Texas Chief of Public Safety Says
Steven McCraw said officers had nothing barring them from entering the classroom at Robb Elementary
AUSTIN, Texas—Officers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last month had nothing barring them from entering a dual classroom where a shooter was actively gunning down students and teachers, the chief of the Texas Department of Public Safety said Tuesday.
The classroom door wasn’t locked, DPS Director Steven McCraw said during a hearing before a Texas Senate committee hearing Tuesday. Police officers armed with rifles and protected by body armor were on the scene within three minutes. Even had the door been secured, officers had tools to break it open. Yet they waited an hour and 14 minutes to go into the classroom, despite hearing ongoing gunshots, knowing children had been shot inside and knowing that at least one teacher shot was still alive.
“The law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything we’ve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine Massacre,” said Mr. McCraw.The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering Room 111 and 112 was an on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers above the lives of children.
On May 24, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos walked into Robb Elementary School, hunkered in a dual classroom and killed 19 fourth-graders and two teachers. The first 911 call regarding the shooter came in at 11:30 a.m. A Border Patrol tactical team ultimately killed the shooter at 12:50 p.m.
As he has previously done, Mr. McCraw placed the blame for the failed response on the head of the school police, Pete Arredondo, who served as incident commander.
“The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering Room 111 and 112 was an on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers above the lives of children,” Mr. McCraw said.
Mr. Arredondo and his attorney haven’t returned calls for comment. The school police chief told the Texas Tribune that he had desperately wanted to save children and tried dozens of keys to find one that would unlock the classroom door.
State troopers from DPS, Mr. McCraw’s agency, were also on the scene. The department has declined to answer questions about its own actions on the scene and whether any agencies sought to shift command from the school district.