Texas Gov. Abbott calls law enforcement response ‘disgusting’ after release of Uvalde school shooting video
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said video showing the law enforcement response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School published this week directly contradicted information he was initially provided after the massacre, telling reporters it was “disgusting” to learn what really happened.
“It’s clear that what was shown on the video was the exact opposite of the information I was given on the day I went out and explained what happened during the event,” the governor said. “None of the information that was in that video was shared with me on that day.
“It was shocking,” Abbott added.
FILE - Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks during a news conference on March 10, 2022, in Weslaco, Texas. (Joel Martinez/)
His comments came during a press conference on Thursday at a Department of Public Safety crime lab in Jersey Village, initially intended to highlight Operation Lone Star and increased drug seizures at the border, according to the Houston Chronicle. Held just days after surveillance video was published by Austin American-Statesman and KVUE, the focus of the press conference quickly shifted to law enforcement response during the May 24 Uvalde school shooting, which has been widely condemned in the months since the attack.
It shows 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos march through an unlocked door at Robb Elementary School and then barricading himself inside a classroom, where he remained for more than an hour. In the hallway outside, officers can be seen milling about for more than 77 minutes, opting against engaging with the gunman even after the arrival of additional officers as well as ballistic shields and high-caliber rifles.
Video footage showing the school hallways when gunman Salvador Ramos committed his massacre in Uvalde, Texas.
At one point, an officer sporting a ballistic vest can be seen using hand sanitizer.
“Obviously it’s disgusting to see what happened,” Abbott said. “It’s been clear from the time of Columbine that whenever there is a shooting … you run toward that danger and encounter that danger. You have to eliminate that shooter as quickly as possible. From what I have seen … it looks like that policy was not followed.”
A total of 19 students and two teachers were fatally shot before Ramos was killed by a responding border patrol agent.
Abbott made no comment about how the video was released, though many officials have slammed its leak. Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin previously said he planned to release the footage on Sunday but it was published first by local media outlets on Tuesday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott passes in front of a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, May 29, 2022. (Dario Lopez-Mills/)
An investigative committee led by Texas lawmakers is expected to release findings Sunday about the slow law enforcement response after interviewing more than 40 witnesses in recent weeks. The U.S. Justice Department and Texas Rangers also have launched their own probes, both of which are ongoing.
“The families of the victims deserve to know what happened. And they will know what happened,” Abbott said.
With News Wire Services
