Newly released footage from inside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas shows the gut-wrenching day that 21-year-old Salvador Ramos shot 38 people.
The leaked surveillance video shows the chilling moment that Ramos entered the school building as a young student watches from behind a wall. As gunfire begins, the child is seen running away down another hall.
In the video you can hear teachers screaming “Get down! Get in your rooms” as the gunman begins shooting from the school’s parking lot.
Two minutes after Ramos entered the building, police officers arrive through the same door. As they approach the classroom where the shooter killed 21 people, they quickly retreat down the hallway as soon as gunshots are heard.
Police spent most of that time in a hallway outside the classroom where the killings occurred.
It took 77 minutes from the first 911 call for law enforcement officers to kill the gunman. Read more.
Victims’ Families Response
Parents of the school shooting victims have since come out expressing discontent over the leaking of the surveillance footage.
Javier Cazares, a father whose daughter was killed, was outraged by the situation. He says the footage was released without the families permission.
“It got shown all over the world and we are pissed. These families didn’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. That’s a slap to our babies’ faces and we’re tired of this. We can’t trust anybody no more. It’s aggravating.”
Javier Cazares, victim’s father
Berlina Irene Arreola, the grandmother of shooting victim, Amerie Jo Garza, told CNN her family have “mixed emotions” over seeing the video.
“Seeing that, I think is just going to make everybody else more angry, knowing that they were just standing there, basically doing nothing for that long period of time. They may say they were waiting or they were getting prepared. Seventy-seven minutes to get prepared is way too long”
Berlina Irene Arreola, victim’s Grandmother
Police Response
The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety has expressed he is “deeply dissapointed” by the leak. He says the video was published ahead of schedule whereby victim’s families were meant to see it first.
“Those most affected should have been among the first to see it,” he says.
Leaker’s response
The footage was leaked by Texas newspaper, The Austin American-Statesmen. They explained to readers that the decision to publish the video was to “bring light” to the situation. Read more.
Our goal is to continue to bring to light what happened at Robb Elementary, which the families and friends of the Uvalde victims have long been asking for,” wrote Manny Garcia, the newspaper’s top editor.
Manny Garcia, The Austin American-Statesmen top editor
