"Send the police immediately," students repeatedly reported
Authorities: "We only recognized it as a hostage situation... an undeniably wrong decision"
A grandmother holding a photo of her granddaughter who was a victim in the Texas elementary school shooting, shedding tears. Photo by AP, Yonhap News
[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Se-eun] Children who survived the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, USA, on the 24th (local time) testified about the horrific situation at the time.
According to AP News and CNN on the 27th (local time), Mia Sarillo (11) had to pretend to be dead by covering her entire body with the blood of a deceased friend to survive the shooter.
Sarillo testified, "I was watching a movie in the classroom with my classmates when suddenly gunshots rang out," adding, "Then the perpetrator fired wildly at the teachers and friends."
Afterwards, the perpetrator, Salvador Ramos (18), moved to another classroom and committed the same crime.
Fearing that Ramos might return and shoot again, Sarillo disguised herself and a surviving friend by smearing their bodies with the blood of their friends to appear dead. She then used a deceased teacher's cellphone to call 911 and waited silently for the rescue team to arrive.
In fact, the children called 911 multiple times, but the police response was reportedly inadequate.
About ten police officers arrived at the scene at 11:35 a.m. Ramos had locked the classroom door, and two officers were shot by Ramos.
Until additional officers arrived at 12:03 p.m., 16 gunshots were fired inside the classroom, and 19 police officers in the hallway outside the classroom did not subdue Ramos despite the children's pleas.
A girl in the classroom made the first 911 call requesting rescue and reported again seven minutes later that many classmates had died.
As sporadic gunfire continued, urgent messages such as "Please send the police now" and "Only 8 to 9 children survived" were received by 911.
Border Patrol agents, who responded to a support request instead of the police, opened the classroom door and shot Ramos dead around 12:50 p.m. This was about 1 hour and 20 minutes after Ramos first entered the classroom.
Police officers standing guard around the elementary school in Texas, USA, where a mass shooting tragedy occurred. Photo by AP, Yonhap News
Moreover, this was 50 minutes after the children made the first emergency call. Essentially, during this period, the police neglected the perpetrator's 'massacre.'
The 'standard response guidelines' that require immediate action to kill or arrest a school shooter were not followed at all.
Also, it was confirmed that the school police, who should have initially prevented Ramos from entering the school, were not present at the scene.
In response, Steve McCraw, Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, apologized for the police response during a press conference held the same day.
He explained, "It was a wrong decision. There is no excuse," adding, "The on-site commander also judged the situation only as a standoff with the perpetrator holding children hostage."
Meanwhile, The New York Times (NYT) reported that when armed Border Patrol agents arrived at the scene, local police prevented them from immediately entering the classroom.
A judicial authority official said that the armed Border Patrol agents could not understand why they had to wait, and it is also unclear why the Uvalde local police SWAT team did not respond first to Ramos's shooting.
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