The twisted killer Salvador Ramos did not face a school security officer when he entered Rob Elementary School “unhindered” to carry out his massacre on Tuesday, law enforcement officials said, dismissing earlier reports that an officer had hired him. .
Officials also revealed on Thursday that Ramos fired most of his shots shortly after entering the school through an unlocked door, leaving 19 children and two teachers dead.
“In the meantime, at the moment, according to the information we have, most of the shooting was in the beginning,” said Victor Escalon, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety in South Texas.
“I would say a lot. More than 25. There was a lot of shooting in the beginning, “he said. “There was not much shooting during the talks, except for trying to keep the officers at bay.”
It took almost an hour before Ramos was shot dead by a special tactical team of the US Border Patrol – long after the massacre was over.
Asked why police had not rushed earlier, Escalon said there were “many opportunities”.
“Could someone have arrived earlier?” You have to understand, small town. ”
Ramos’ reign of terror began when he shot his grandmother in the face, then took her pickup truck and drove about a mile to elementary school and crashed into a ditch at 11:20 a.m.
Ramos crashed the stolen truck into a ditch near the school. News 4 San Antonio Salvador Ramos shared his horrific plans on Facebook. Facebook / Elsa G Ruiz The vehicle Ramos was driving is surrounded by an image showing how close the killer parked to the school. News 4 San Antonio
Escalon said the first shots fired by Ramos were aimed at two bystanders in front of a funeral home across the street before “shooting several times at the school” and then entering around 11:30 a.m. Police followed around four minutes later after 911 calls.
“They hear gunfire, they go around,” he told the cops in charge. “They are returning, they are under cover and during this time they have approached the place where the suspect is.
“The officers are there, the original officers, they get shot,” he said. “Initially, they do not enter because of the shooting they receive.”
Salvador Ramos fired most of his bullets quickly after entering the school, said Victor Escalon, director of the State Department of Public Safety in South Texas. Instagram / salv8dor_
He said police had not been in the room where Ramos had been for nearly an hour until a team of heavily armed border patrol agents arrived and killed him. Police reportedly waited for a school official to pick up a key to the classroom, which was then locked.
“During the time they are making these calls to help solve this problem and stop it immediately, they are also evacuation personnel,” Escalon said. “It simply came to our notice then. “They start shooting, negotiating and developing a team to come in.”
A law enforcement expert told The Post on Thursday that delaying school haste could be a “very serious mistake” by law enforcement.
Police arrive at the crime scene at a school in Texas. Facebook / Joe Paul Ortega It took about an hour for Ramos to be shot. Reuers / Marco Bello
“There are a number of problems here,” said Maria Haberfeld, a professor at John J. College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan. “You have many agencies on stage without coordination. So this is already a problem.
“I think there should have been an immediate response with the reaction of the first force,” Haberfield said. “Every second, every minute you wait, you’re going to have a new victim.”
Recently retired Howell, New Jersey Police Chief Andrew Kudrick said the incident and police response underscored the need for joint training between the agencies.
“That’s why it’s so important to train together,” Kudrick said. “You can’t include one agency. We train every month, but we get together and train as a team.
Some parents believe that the police did not act quickly enough and could have saved lives. James Cave for the NY Post
“This type of situation is so chaotic and it’s a lot of work for officers at the scene if they haven’t trained together – especially if they haven’t trained together,” he said. “It’s just chaotic and it just changes the whole landscape.”
However, the former boss also said that the cops in front of the school in Texas on Tuesday may “just slow things down and try to develop a quick plan.”
For the tortured parents, the delay in the cops’ entry into the school was unbearable, with many angry with the police over a lull in police response to the Uwalde school.
“I’m as upset as any other parent, any grandmother, because they were someone’s children,” Juanita Garza, whose grandson attends school, told The Post on Thursday.
“They had to be protected,” Garza said. “We all wonder what happened?”
People react outside of Ssgt. Willie de Leon Civic Center, where students were transported by Robb Elementary School after the shooting. Reuters / Marco Bello
“Where were they that this could have been prevented?” She asked. “That’s what I’m upset about.”
Veronica Gonzalez’s mother said she had the same questions – and more.
“I get a lump in my throat and I’m sick,” she said. “They need to know what happened. The front door has always been open. Anyone can come in. There is never a lock.
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