The calls received by the Uvalde City Police Department “were not routed to the school district police chief, Constable Arredondo,” said Democrat Roland Gutierrez, who sits in the Texas Senate during a news conference. This was “a system error,” he condemned, explaining that he did not know who exactly knew about these communications.
An hour to intervene
The actions of the police have been the focus of criticism since the May 24 massacre. Nineteen children and two teachers fell under the bullets of just 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, making it one of the worst massacres in the United States in recent years.
The 19 officers, who were in a corridor at the school, had waited almost forty-five minutes when the gunman fled into a room filled with students before an elite squad finally entered and killed him.
In all, it took the police about an hour to intervene. This comes after multiple calls were made from school children and teachers in the affected classrooms, including one from a child asking: “Please send the police now. »
Last week, Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McCraw claimed officials did not intervene sooner because they believed “there may not be any survivors left,” without explaining who was aware of those calls for help from inside the school was.