Videos and photos published by American media uncovered the US police practices in the Texas Uvalde school corridor, while a criminal was killing children in the classroom.
On Tuesday, The Austin Newspaper released excerpts of CCTV video showing officers withdrawing from the shooting in Robb Elementary School lobby in Uvalde, Texas, during the deadly May 24 shooting.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed when Salvador Ramos targeted Robb Elementary School.
The video shows the 18-year-old gunman after he crashed his pickup truck, entering the building and – carrying an AR-15 assault rifle – walking down a hallway unhindered at 11.33am on 24 May.
Moments later, a child is seen coming around the corner of the hallway and running away.
A child peers round the corner after the gunman enters.
Police officers first arrive two-and-a-half minutes later. Two approach the classroom, but retreat after shots are fired.
At 11.52am, more policemen arrive – armed with guns, wearing body armor and carrying ballistic shields, but they are seen milling in the hallway.
At 12.30pm, another officer is seen stopping to get hand sanitizer.
At 12.50pm – 77 minutes after the gunman entered the school – officers breach the classroom and kill him.
The footage was recorded from hallway CCTV within the school, and portions have been published by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper and KVUE.
Delays in the law enforcement response have been the focus of federal, state and local investigations into the massacre and its aftermath.
Families of the victims have been campaigning for the footage to be released, and are due to view the full recording this weekend.
Residents in Uvalde have been angered by what the footage shows, and at a council meeting on Tuesday night, they shouted for action and demanded police face consequences.
In a statement, that department’s director, Steve McCraw, said the video provides “horrifying evidence” that the law enforcement response was a failure.
However, he said the families of those killed should have had the chance to have seen the footage first, and he was “deeply disappointed” by the newspaper’s decision to publish the video.
Source: US media
