A Texas official said Tuesday that a teacher closed the door of Rob Elementary School in Uwalde, which was propped up open before a gunman entered the building and killed 19 children and two teachers last week, withdrawing details of the shooting, which they provided earlier, according to the AP.
Why it matters: Stephen McCrow, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told a news conference Friday that the shooter entered the school through a door that was opened by a teacher.
- Investigators initially said the unnamed teacher backed the door with a stone before the shooting began and did not remove it, giving the shooter access to the school.
Yes, but Travis Considine, chief communications officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said investigators have now determined that the teacher, who was on the 911 phone at the time, removed the stone after hearing gunshots outside the school. and closed the door, but it did not lock, according to AP.
- Considine said authorities are now investigating why the door did not lock.
Background: Texas local and state law enforcement officials are facing fierce criticism and questions about why it took so long for police officers to stand up and stop the Uwalde shooter after he locked himself in two connected fourth-grade classrooms. teachers and students.
- Authorities in Texas also released and later withdrew many key details of the shooting, including their initial report that a security officer hired by the school confronted the shooter before he entered the building.
- McCrow said Friday that the security guard was not on campus when the shooting was first reported near the school, but immediately proceeded to the scene. He also claims that the policeman passed the shooter and instead collided with a teacher after he arrived on campus.
Go deeper: the governor of Texas issues a declaration of disaster for Uwalde
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