A Texas father has begun standing guard outside his daughter’s elementary school in the wake of the shooting in Uvalde.
Ed Chelby said he asked the school superintendent in Killeen for permission to provide himself and other parents “relief” of fears that they could face a similar tragedy.
He told KWTX on Thursday that his wife also works at the school, and he has 11 years experience in the US Army and security.
“I said I would just be out there unarmed to let people know that I’m watching. Let the parents have a little bit of relief,” Mr Chelby said in an interview with the local news station.
Killeen is located about 175 miles northwest of Uvalde, where 19 children and two teachers were shot by an 18-year-old gunman, Salvador Ramos, on Tuesday. An investigation into what happened is underway.
“I can’t let this go,” said Mr Chelby, “This is just a testament to the sleeplessness caused by the grief I experienced.”
Mr Chelby – who has gone viral both locally and on social media – said he was approached by parents in tears thanking him for his efforts.
“I’ve had a lot of emotional people come up to me,” he said, “They didn’t want to send their kids to school. They struggled with sending their kids to school. And I told them, I was like, ‘I got them.’”
Criticism of law enforcement – who authorities admitted on Thursday waited an hour before confronting the gunman – has concerned parents across the state.
“You don’t know if you should send your kid to school,” Mr Chelby said. “You want them to get their education and their experience of the last days of school, but you want to protect them with everything you got.”
“Him standing in front of the school, that’s reassuring - feeling that we get to go home and see our families this summer,” said fellow parent Samantha Longfeather-Locke.
Video has meanwhile emerged showing frustrated parents in Uvalde call on police to storm the Robb Elementary School, where the gunman allegedly locked himself inside a classroom.
Details about the exact timeline of events, and why police did not confront Ramos sooner, are unclear.
