Texas Gunman Entered School Unobstructed As Officials Walk Back Abbott’s Claim

UVALDE, Texas (Fwrd Axis) — Authorities on Thursday said the Texas gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde entered the school unobstructed, walking back claims by Texas governor Greg Abbott and other officials made that the gunman “engaged with” an officer prior to entering the building.

Department of Public Safety South Texas Regional Director Victor Escalon said despite earlier information officials released earlier, the gunman was not engaged by a school police officer before entering Robb Elementary School. Once inside, the Texas gunman walked into the west side of the building before walking 20 to 30 feet into a classroom and began firing.

“They hear gunfire, they take rounds, they move back, get cover, and during that time, they approach where the suspect is at,” Escalon said.

“Officers are there, the initial officers, they receive gunfire. They don’t make entry initially because of the gunfire they’re receiving. But we have officers calling for additional resources, everyone that’s in the area,” Escalon added.

“During this time that they’re making those calls to bring in help to solve this problem and stop it immediately, they’re also evacuating personnel, when I say students, teachers. There’s a lot going on.”

The news comes amid growing questions over how much time went by before police went inside to end the deadly school shooting. As of this writing, the motive remains under investigation, with authorities saying 18-year-old Salvador Ramos had no known criminal or mental health history.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said Wednesday that over 40 minutes to an hour went by from the time the first shots were fired to when the tactical team shot him.

In a statement, Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez said that officers responded to the shooting “within minutes.”

“I know words will never ease the pain that we are all suffering,” Rodriguez said, “but I hope you will join me in taking some solace in knowing that the pain comes from the fact that we all have such deep love for all the victims who have been taken from us, those who are recovering, and those who only time and love will continue to heal.”

School officials could not answer when asked why the suspect wasn’t stopped in the 12 minutes between the car crash and him entering the school.

“We got a crash and a man with a gun and then you have responding officers. That’s what it is if that’s 12 minutes,” he said. “At the end of the day, our job is to report the facts and have those answers. We’re not there yet.”

Video footage from outside the school (seen above) on Tuesday shows distressed parents and locals reacting to news of the shooting.

“They’re all in there, the cops aren’t doing s— except standing outside,” a man is heard saying. “You know they’re little kids, right? Little kids, they don’t know how to defend themselves.”