Police Refused To Enter Texas School To Stop Shooter Even As Parents Begged Them To

Families of Robb Elementary School students reportedly begged police to interfere with the Texas school shooting, which lasted upwards of 40 minutes.

A new report from the Associated Press has released in the wake of the Texas school shooting that took place on Tuesday, May 24. The article gives disturbing details on what transpired, specifically that Uvalde police officers refused to enter the school despite the urging of panicked families outside. Newly surfaced videos also support the claims, showing police officers stopping parents from entering the school building.

Minutes before the incident occurred the shooter, Salvador Ramos, crashed his grandmother's truck into a ditch outside of Robb Elementary School. Upon crashing the truck Ramos left the vehicle, grabbed his AR-15-style rifle, and shot at two people at a funeral home near the school (the two bystanders weren't injured).

After encountering a school district security officer at Robb Elementary School, Ramos ran inside and fired on two police officers, injuring them. He then charged into a classroom where he "barricaded himself by locking the door and just started shooting children and teachers that were inside that classroom," Lt. Christopher Olivarez of the Department of Public Safety said, per CNN. In the classroom, Ramos killed two teachers, Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia, along with 19 students.

Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said that between 40 minutes to an hour passed since Ramos opened fire on the security guard to being shot and killed by an off-duty Border Patrol agent. During the standoff, Ramos remained barricaded in the classroom where five students hid beneath a table, according to KENS 5.

“When the cops came, the cop said: 'Yell if you need help!' And one of the persons in my class said 'Help.' The guy overheard and he came in and shot her," one of the students said. "The cop barged into that classroom. The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.”

The student added that he came out from under the table when the shooting stopped.

“I just opened the curtain. And I just put my hand out,” he said. "I got out with my friend. I knew it was police. I saw the armor and the shield.”

On Wednesday, Beto O'Rourke – who is running against Greg Abbott for Texas governor – confronted Abbott during a news conference on Wednesday where the shooting was addressed.

“This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen," O'Rourke said before being told to leave by police officers and politicians onstage.