UVALDE, Texas — With criticism swelling about the police response to the Texas elementary school massacre, a law enforcement official said Thursday that the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers entered the school “unobstructed” through an unlocked door 12 minutes after police were alerted about a man nearby with a rifle.
Victor Escalon, South Texas regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news briefing Thursday that the suspect, Salvador Ramos, 18, did not initially encounter any police officers when he entered Robb Elementary School on Tuesday and opened fire.
Ramos shot most of his victims inside within the first few minutes of entering the school, Escalon said. He could not answer why it took an hour for a federal special weapons team to enter the classroom and kill the gunman.
