A Texas police officer said his unit didn't immediately storm Robb Elementary School to take out the shooter because they feared being shot.
Department of Safety Lieutenant Chris Olivarez suggested the officers locked evil gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, inside the classroom where he slaughtered 19 children and two heroic teachers.
The cop made the damning revelation during a CNN show last night.
The presenter had asked him why the first responders retreated after Ramos fired at them before waiting for 60 minutes for a SWAT team to arrive and put an end to the horror spree.
During that time, AR-15-wielding Ramos was left alone in a classroom with the children - who were between the ages of nine and 12 - and their teachers.
Host Wolf Blitzer asked: "Don’t current best practices, Lieutenant, call for officers to disable a shooter as quickly as possible, regardless of how many officers are actually on site?"
He replied: "In the active shooter situation, you want to stop the killing, you want to preserve life. But also one thing that, of course, the American people need to understand is that officers are making entry into this building. They do not know where the gunman is. They are hearing gunshots. They are receiving gunshots."
According to the MailOnline, the lieutenant went on to "take credit" for locking Ramos in with the kids - alleging that by doing so cops saved others from being slain.
He added: "At that point, if they proceeded any further not knowing where the suspect was at, they could’ve been shot, they could've been killed, and at that point that gunman would have had an opportunity to kill other people inside that school.
"So they were able to contain that gunman inside that classroom so that he was not able to go to any other portions of the school to commit any other killings."
Earlier today, Ramos' mother said people shouldn't "judge him" - and repeatedly claimed he "had his reasons" to take innocent lives.
Adriana Reyes said she wants the families of those killed to forgive her son for the barbaric slaughter at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday.
She again insisted that he was not a violent person following the horrific school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Twisted Ramos was shot dead after killing the 21 people as well as blasting his grandmother Celia Gonzalez, who is now fighting for her life.
But in another TV interview, the parent says she wants understanding despite the outrage across the world.
"I have no words, I don't know what he was thinking. He had his reasons for doing what he did - please don't judge him," she said.
"I only want the innocent people who died to forgive me."
When asked what would she like to say to the family of the dread, she went on: "Forgive me, forgive my son.
"I know he had his reasons. He wanted to get closer to the children, instead of to the other bad things. I don't know."
Last night she claimed he "wasn't a violent person."
She recalled the last time she spoke to her son on his birthday on Monday when she planned to give him a card and a Snoopy stuffed toy.
The mum denied claims that they had a toxic relationship but admitted that the 18-year-old was a loner who did not have many friends and "kept to himself."
"My son wasn't a violent person. I'm surprised by what he did," she told the MailOnline.
