Uvalde Police Respond To Shooting Criticized By Victim’s Father

Crosses with the names of victims of a school shooting, are pictured at a memorial outside Robb Elementary school, after a gunman killed nineteen children and two teachers, in Uvalde, Texas, U.S. May 26, 2022.

Parents and local residents pressed police to storm the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two teachers were killed, according to reports.

On Wednesday, witnesses revealed to the press that officers were gathered outside of Robb Elementary School when the 18-year-old shooter barricaded himself in a classroom and began shooting at the children and teachers inside.

Javier Cazares, the father of fourth-grade victim Jacklyn Cazares, revealed he rushed to the school after learning about the shooting and saw the police gathered outside.

Frustrated that officers weren’t charging into the school to protect the children, Cazares suggested the bystanders should storm the building.

“Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” he said. “More could have been done.”

Cazares added, “They were unprepared.”

Another onlooker, Juan Carranza, 24, who lives across the street from the school, heard women shouting “Go in there! Go in there,” at the police. However, Carranza claimed the officers did not enter the building.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw estimated that 40 minutes to an hour elapsed from when the shooter crashed his truck into a ditch outside of the elementary school and opened fire on a school security officer using an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle to when officers shot him.

Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine said the gunman shot at two Uvalde police officers who arrived on the scene, the officers were injured. He then stormed into a classroom and began shooting.

“The bottom line is law enforcement was there,” McCraw said. “They did engage immediately. They did contain [the shooter] in the classroom.”

However, Carranza believes law enforcement should have secured the school quicker. “There were more of them. There was just one of him,” he said.

Reports of police the delay in officers charing the building comes as President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass gun reform legislation.

“While they clearly will not prevent every tragedy, we know certain ones will have significant impact and have no negative impact on the Second Amendment. The Second Amendment is not absolute,” Biden said.

Biden has stated that lives can be saved by setting “limitations” on the type of weapons that can be owned.