Children Died In Uvalde Because Police Didn’t Try To Open An Unlocked Classroom Door

There are many stunning revelations about the disastrous Uvalde police response to the Robb Elementary mass shooting, but, shockingly, they try to open an unlocked classroom door.

The San Antonio Express-News reported on a Texas House committee report on the law enforcement response:

A shield that would have protected officers against the gunman’s assault-style rifle arrived at 12:20 p.m. BORTAC, an elite tactical unit of the U.S. Border Patrol, likely assumed command shortly before 12:30 p.m.

Yet officers, including Paul Guerrero, acting commander of BORTAC, waited until 12:50 p.m. to enter Room 111 and kill Ramos — 73 minutes after police first arrived at the school.

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A door to the classrooms likely was unlocked the entire time. While trying to find a master key, officers didn’t try to open the door before finally storming the room, the report said.

Nearly 400 law enforcement officers were on the scene, and not a single one of them tried to open the unlocked classroom door. It is as if they were making up excuses not to enter the room and stop the shooter.

The report described the law enforcement response as lackadaisical and described how police abandoned their school shooter training where they were taught to put themselves on the line to attempt to save children.

The report blamed poor information, spotty communications, and law enforcement officers who did not follow their training.

The lock on the classroom door was broken for weeks, and it was not repaired. The school spotted the shooter outside the building, but no one used the intercom to declare a lockdown, so the teacher in the classroom had no idea what was happening when a shooter walked in and began shooting.

Law enforcement probably got kids killed through their response, and people should be held accountable.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association