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Two days following the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, in which Salvador Ramos shot dead 19 children and two teachers, new details began to emerge that have put the spotlight on the police’s actions.
Several people who witnessed the development of the incident indicated that witnesses they urged the police to enter to school, and one even considered entering the facility on his own, frustrated by the lack of action by officers.
According to Texas officials, Ramos was inside the school up to an hour before being shot by the police.
Juan Carranza, who saw what was happening from outside his house, located in front of the school, told the AP news agency that there were women outside yelling at the police. “Get in there! Get in!”
However, the 24-year-old explained, the police did not enter.
Javier Cazares, whose daughter Jacklyn was killed in the attack, told the agency that he ran to the school when he heard regarding the situation, only to see police gathered outside the building.
He then suggested going in together with other people who were there, since the police “were not doing anything”. “More might have been done. They were not prepared,” she said.
“As Fast as They Could”
Authorities reported that Ramos locked himself in a classroom that officers had difficulty gaining access to.
At a news conference Wednesday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said Ramos had been on the scene. between 40 minutes and one hour before the security forces might “contain” it.
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Meanwhile, US Border Patrol Chief Raúl Ortiz told CNN that dozens of agents responded to the shooting and “did not hesitate” to act.
“They walked into that classroom and took care of the situation as fast as they might“, said.
By the time security forces entered the classroom where Ramos was holed up and killed him, he had already killed 19 children between the ages of 8 and 10, and two teachers.
Protocol to follow in the event of an active shooter
Until just over 20 years ago, when an active shooter situation arose, the protocol for the police was to go to the scene of the incident, establish a perimeter around the area and wait for the unit to arrive. of elite police officers, known as SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics).
However, following the tragedy at the high school of Columbinein Colorado, in April 1999, in which two students entered armed and indiscriminately killed 12 of their classmates and a teacher before committing suicide, changed the way in which the police respond to these situations.
After making a thorough assessment of what happened in that tragedy and how it was responded to, a much more immediate response strategy, called Fast Deployment.
Since then, the indication has been that the first armed agents to arrive at the site where the shooting is taking place should go straight at the attacker with the objective of kill or capturehe explained to Washington Post Kenneth Trump, school safety expert with more than three decades of experience with elementary and secondary schools.
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Nothing should stop the police in their attempt to neutralize the armed attacker.
“You miss the wounded, you miss the dead, you go over and around them and you keep going, because every second counts,” he said. “Go to the shooter.”
In the handbooks schools receive from police or security experts, it is clearly explained that this is what to expect when sheltering inside the school from an active shooter and waiting for help to arrive.
According to the US Department of Homeland Security manual that explains how to respond to a situation like the one that occurred at Robb Elementary School, “the purpose of law enforcement is to stop the active shooter as quickly as possible.”
“Officers will proceed directly to the area where the last shots were fired.”
Once they enter, the document recommends that people who are there remain calm and follow the instructions of the agents, keep their hands visible and avoid making sudden movements towards the agents such as clinging to them for safety.
He also asks to avoid shouting and not to ask the agents for help when told to evacuate the place.
Given the length of time it took for police to enter Robb Elementary School to respond to the attacker, security experts now question whether or not current protocols were followed.
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