‘Abject failure’ | Uvalde school massacre could have been stopped in 3 minutes, DPS says

TEXAS, USA — Law enforcement authorities had enough officers on the scene of the Uvalde school massacre to stop the gunman three minutes after he entered the building, the Texas public safety chief testified Tuesday , condemning the police response as an “abject failure. ” Police officers with rifles instead stood and waited in a school hallway for nearly an hour while the gunman carried out the May 24 attack that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Col.

Steve McCraw , director of the Texas Department of Public Safety , testified at a state Senate hearing on the police handling of the tragedy. RELATED: First interior image released in Uvalde school shooting shows officers with more firepower than previously believed Delays in the law enforcement response have been the focus of federal, state and local investigations of the mass shooting. McCraw told the Senate committee that Pete Arredondo , the Uvalde school district police chief, decided to put the lives of officers ahead of the lives of children.

RELATED: ‘If there’s kids in there, we need to go in’: Officers in Uvalde were ready with guns, shields and tools — but not clear orders The public safety chief began outlining for the committee a series of missed opportunities. Director McCraw’s reference materials for his testimony before the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans are provided here. #Uvalde pic.

twitter. com/7pONvTh95e McCraw also said that teachers, not law enforcement, should be praised for their actions during the massacre. McCraw says the teachers worked quickly to lock the school down and save lives.

In addition, McCraw asked that Texans alert law enforcement of suspicious activity. He said the Salvador Ramos was, “moving toward a pathway to violence” in the months that led up to the massacre at the school. The Texas Tribune reported Monday that officers in the hallway of Robb Elementary wanted to get inside classrooms 111 and 112 — immediately.

One officer’s daughter was inside. Another officer had gotten a call from his wife, a teacher, who told him she was bleeding to death. Two closed doors and a wall stood between them and an 18-year-old with an AR-15 who had opened fire on children and teachers inside the connected classrooms.

A Halligan bar — an ax-like forcible-entry tool used by firefighters to get through locked doors — was available. Ballistic shields were arriving on the scene. So was plenty of firepower, including at least two rifles.

But during most of those 77 minutes, despite the urgent pleas from officers and parents amassed outside, officers stayed put outside rooms 111 and 112, stationed on either end of a wide hallway with sky blue and green walls and bulletin boards displaying children’s artwork. Ramos fired at least four sets of rounds — including the initial spray of fire that likely killed many of his victims instantaneously. After the special agent’s comment, nearly another hour passed before a tactical team from the Border Patrol breached the classroom doors and killed the gunman.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. KHOU 11 on social media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube.