A 9-year-old describes escaping through a window during the Uvalde school massacre as anger mounts over police response

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Ssider69

(CNN) As a gunman entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas , and started firing, one student said his wounded teacher texted 911 for help .

Daniel, 9, alongside his mother, Briana Ruiz, told CNN the gunman fired several shots into his classroom after being unable to enter. The door had been locked by his teacher, and the bullets fired struck the teacher as well as a classmate.

The deadly rampage at Robb Elementary marked at least the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in just the first five months of this year. It was the deadliest school shooting since the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre

Daniel survived by first "hiding under a table next to the wall." He said he could see the gunman through the door's window.

"I could still see his face," the boy said. "I could see him staring at people in front of me."

Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A choir from The Light of the World Church sings songs in Uvalde, Texas, on Friday, May 27, to support families who lost loved ones in the Robb Elementary School shooting. Hide Caption 1 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school President Joe Biden looks back at the crowd gathered outside of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church after attending Mass in Uvalde on Sunday, May 29. People in the crowd shouted, "Do something!" And as Biden looked back at them he said, "We will." Hide Caption 2 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A cutout photograph of one of the victims is taken onto school grounds Saturday, May 28, in preparation for Biden's visit the next day. Hide Caption 3 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Mourners gather in the main plaza in Uvalde on May 28. Hide Caption 4 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school The Light of the World Church offers prayers for the families impacted by the shooting. Hide Caption 5 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Vanessa Palacios, left, and Melissa García write the victims' names on their storefront, Cut Loose Hair Emporium, on Friday, May 27. Hide Caption 6 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Steven McCraw, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, points to a map of the shooter's movements during a news conference on May 27. In all, 80 minutes passed between when officers were first called to the school at 11:30 a.m. to when a tactical team entered locked classrooms and killed the gunman at 12:50 p.m., McCraw said. Hide Caption 7 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school The friends and family of Maranda Mathis, one of the young victims of the school shooting, grieve her loss in front of a cross bearing her name on Thursday, May 26. "These children should be remembered for all the right reasons," a family member said. Hide Caption 8 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Tyler Garcia raises up a sign that says "#UvaldeStrong" during a car wash and food sale that was raising money for the families of those who lost loved ones in the shooting. Hide Caption 9 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Congregants at St. Philip's Episcopal Church light candles in Uvalde to remember the shooting victims on May 26. Hide Caption 10 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Copies of the Uvalde Leader-News sit on stands at a market on May 26. Hide Caption 11 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Crosses bear the names of shooting victims on May 26. Hide Caption 12 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People in Uvalde light candles during a memorial for the shooting victims on Wednesday, May 25. Hide Caption 13 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A prayer vigil is held in Uvalde on May 25. Hide Caption 14 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school An officer with the Texas Highway Patrol prays with a community member before taking his flowers to the growing memorial in front of Robb Elementary School. Hide Caption 15 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school From left, Michael Cavasos, Brenda Perez and Eduardo Galindo are seen in the foreground as they wait in line to donate blood in Uvalde on May 25. Galindo, who lives in Uvalde, said: "When it hits you in your hometown, you wake up and say, 'Wow.' ... We have to be here and show support for these families right now." Approximately 200 people donated blood to South Texas Blood and Tissue, who would be delivering the units to surrounding area hospitals. Hide Caption 16 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People attend Mass at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde on May 25. Hide Caption 17 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Flowers are seen at the memorial in front of the school. Hide Caption 18 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Texas gubernatorial nominee Beto O'Rourke, bottom right, confronted Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials during a news conference about the shooting on May 25. "The time to stop the next shooting is right now and you are doing nothing," O'Rourke told Abbott. The two will face off in November's election. Hide Caption 19 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Law enforcement vehicles are lined up outside the school on May 25. Hide Caption 20 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People pray outside the SSGT Willie de Leon Civic Center in Uvalde on Tuesday, May 24. The civic center is where students were transported after the shooting. Hide Caption 21 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Kladys Castellón prays during a vigil that was held in Uvalde on May 24. Hide Caption 22 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Law enforcement officials work the scene after the shooting on May 24. Hide Caption 23 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People comfort each other outside the civic center in Uvalde. Hide Caption 24 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Students run to safety after law enforcement officers helped them escape from a window at the school. Hide Caption 25 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Law enforcement personnel run near the scene of the shooting on May 24. US Customs and Border Protection, which is the largest law enforcement agency in the area, assisted with the response. Hide Caption 26 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People react outside the Uvalde civic center on May 24. Hide Caption 27 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A Texas state trooper walks outside the school on May 24. Hide Caption 28 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A woman reacts outside of the civic center in Uvalde. Hide Caption 29 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A child gets on a school bus under the watch of law enforcement on May 24. Robb Elementary teaches second through fourth grades and had 535 students in the 2020-21 school year, according to state data. About 90% of students are Hispanic and about 81% are economically disadvantaged, the data shows. Hide Caption 30 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People react outside the civic center in Uvalde. This marks at least the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in 2022. Hide Caption 31 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Law enforcement officials and other first responders gather outside the school following the shooting. Hide Caption 32 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A woman cries and hugs a young girl while on the phone outside the civic center in Uvalde. Hide Caption 33 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Another child gets on a bus to leave the school. Hide Caption 34 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A woman cries as she leaves the civic center. Hide Caption 35 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Law enforcement officials stand outside the school following the shooting. The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have been assisting local police with the investigation. Hide Caption 36 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school People sit on the curb outside of the school as state troopers guard the area on May 24. Hide Caption 37 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school Police walk near the school following the shooting. Hide Caption 38 of 39 Photos: Mass shooting at Texas elementary school A woman and a child leave the Uvalde civic center on May 24. Hide Caption 39 of 39

Daniel later climbed out of a broken window to escape, cutting his hand on some glass, he said, and the two people injured in his class would survive.

But his cousin, Ellie Garcia, was in a different classroom. She was one of 19 children and two teachers killed in the worst school shooting in a decade, and less than a week later, major questions remain about the timeliness of the law enforcement response and whether more children could have been saved.

The Texas Department of Public Safety has laid out a timeline of the Tuesday shooting, showing the gunman was in a classroom with students for more than an hour before he was shot and killed by a Border Patrol tactical response team. Officers arrived at the school within minutes, but the commander on scene decided to wait over an hour for reinforcements, even as children locked inside the room with the gunman called 911 and begged for police help.

Video taken from the outside of the school during the incident, obtained by ABC News, includes what appears to be dispatch audio informing officers on scene a child is calling 911 from a classroom.

"Advise we do have a child on the line," the dispatcher says. "Child is advising he is in the room full of victims."

The video indicates police at the scene were informed at least one child remained alive inside the classrooms.

CNN has not been able to independently confirm the video/audio. The source of the video is unclear and it is unclear at what point in the incident the audio is heard. CNN has reached out to authorities to answer questions about this audio.

Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw told reporters Friday there were at least eight 911 calls from at least two separate callers from inside the school, covering a span of nearly 50 minutes. The decision made on scene to treat the incident like a barricaded suspect, rather than an active shooter, was "wrong," he said.

Also on Monday, funeral services for two victims are set to take place at local funeral homes. Visitation and Rosary for 10-year-old Amerie Jo Garza will take place Monday at Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home, and services for 10-year-old Maite Yuleana Rodriguez will take place at Rushing Estes Knowles.

Law enforcement response called into question

JUST WATCHED Shimon Prokupecz lists unanswered questions about Uvalde Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Shimon Prokupecz lists unanswered questions about Uvalde 02:45

Alfred Garcia, whose daughter was killed in the shooting, told CNN he was in "disbelief" over how much time elapsed during the shooting before it ended and shared his frustration with authorities' response.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out that it just took too long to get in there and, you know, had they gotten there sooner, and someone would have taken immediate action, we might have more of those children here today, including my daughter," he said.

Law enforcement officers in Texas are trained to intervene quickly, according to active shooter guidelines in the state's commission on law enforcement 2020 training manual obtained by CNN. The manual states an "officer's first priority is to move in and confront the attacker."

"As first responders we must recognize that innocent life must be defended," it says. "A first responder unwilling to place the lives of the innocent above their own safety should consider another career field."

Seven officers arrived at the scene within two minutes of the shooter firing in the classroom. Three officers approached the locked classroom where the gunman was, and two officers suffered graze wounds from bullets fired from behind the door, DPS said. Officers then stationed down the hallway.

Border Patrol agents belonging to a specialized unit arrived at the scene around 12:15 p.m., roughly 45 minutes after the gunman began shooting. The officer in charge had already made the determination the subject was barricaded in the room, according to a source familiar with the situation.

The team then did not breach the classroom for at least another 30 minutes, according to the timeline provided by DPS. A 911 call placed at 12:16 p.m., according to DPS, from a girl in one of the classrooms told the operator eight or nine students were still alive.

The delayed police response in Uvalde runs contrary to well-established, commonly taught active shooter protocol established after the Columbine school shooting of 1999, experts said.

"Even under fire, officers are trained to go to that threat because every second counts," said Jonathan Wackrow, a CNN law enforcement analyst. "What we saw here was that delay cost children their lives, full stop."

At the request of Uvalde's mayor, the US Department of Justice announced it will conduct an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the shooting.

"The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events," the DOJ said in a statement Sunday.

The DOJ is expected to select someone in the next few days to lead the review, according to two sources familiar with the process. The Justice Department has traditionally relied on people outside the DOJ with law enforcement expertise and on-the-ground experience with mass-casualty events to conduct such reviews.

The department conducted similar reviews after mass shootings in San Bernardino , California, in December 2015, and at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando , Florida, in June 2016.

Biden hopeful 'rational' Republicans can agree to gun reform

President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Uvalde Sunday to pay their respects, attending Mass and laying flowers at a memorial for the victims. The two also met privately with family members of the victims as well as first responders.

In an interview with CNN affiliate KSAT, Texas state Senator Roland Gutierrez said Biden told him "we're going to look to raze that school, build a new one." Gutierrez said there is a federal grant process for schools like Columbine and other schools to raze these schools. Sandy Hook Elementary was rebuilt after the 2012 shooting , for example.

"What kind of world are we living in that legislation was created for razing these schools?" Gutierrez asked during the interview.

JUST WATCHED Texas lawmaker: You can get an AR-15 in Texas faster than you can get baby formula Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Texas lawmaker: You can get an AR-15 in Texas faster than you can get baby formula 02:21

According to Gutierrez, Biden also told him, "I'm not going away ... I'm gonna bring you resources ... look to getting real money for mental health care." There is only one psychiatrist in Uvalde, according to the senator.

Biden voiced optimism on Monday certain "rational" Republicans could agree to some type of new gun restrictions.

"I think things have gotten so bad that everybody's getting more rational about it. At least that's my hope and prayer," Biden told reporters at the White House.

Biden, in his most extensive comments about gun control since last week's murders, said he was limited in steps he could take alone.

"There's the Constitution. I can't dictate this stuff. I can do the things I've done, and any executive action I can take I'll continue to take. But I can't outlaw a weapon, I can't change the background checks. I can't do that," he said.

In the wake of the shooting, an outpouring of support to those in the community is being provided.

Carlos Hernandez, whose restaurant is a mile from Robb Elementary, wrote on Facebook hours after the shooting, "There's no possible way I can open my kitchen with a broken heart and have fun doing it."

On Thursday -- his 33rd birthday -- Hernandez decided to cook for the community, whipping up favorite dishes, including wings, mac-and-cheese and fried fish tacos.

Within two hours, Hernandez had given away more than 60 family-sized platters to feed mourning families and neighbors who are still learning how to cope with the tragedy inflicted on their tight-knit community.

"It's a real tough situation, I'm just trying to show the kids that they do have us as their backbone and a support system," Hernandez told CNN. "We always provide, whether there is an incident or no incident."

Elsewhere in Uvalde, the El Progreso Memorial Library has become a place of healing.

On Wednesday, just a day after the shooting, children's librarian Martha Carreon sat in front of rows of little faces, reading, singing, and giggling with the children, taking them away to a safe place far from the school where many of them became witness to horror.

"We want our building to be a safe space, a refuge that is a quiet, calm and cool haven," El Progreso Memorial Library director Mendell Morgan told CNN.

Along with psychologists who will be available every weekday for children and adults to talk to, there will also be massage therapy practitioners, volunteers for arts and craft activities, pianists to play soothing music, and even magicians to hold professional magic shows.

"This is a strong community where we have true care and concern for one another," Morgan said. "Many, if not most here, hold fast to their faith believing in God, that good is stronger than evil and light is stronger than dark."

CeeKay125 on May 30th, 2022 at 14:11 UTC »

I don't understand how the police/SWAT was so incompetent when they literally do drills at this very school. How you wait 45+ minutes to get a master key is mind-blowing. Thank that border patrol agent for having a set of balls and doing what was right instead of standing around twiddling their thumbs.

Marksd9 on May 30th, 2022 at 14:03 UTC »

The police’s story makes no sense. They claim that they thought the shooter was barricaded in an empty classroom but a student in the classroom was in contact with 911 for over 40 minutes before they entered. That info was being relayed to them. They knew the situation.

This was not a procedural mistake, it was outright cowardice.

gjbbb on May 30th, 2022 at 13:20 UTC »

Seventeen armed and vested police officers didn’t do anything for over an hour while children bled to death, incomprehensible.