“As everybody has learned, the information that I was given turned out, in part, to be inaccurate. And I’m absolutely livid about that,” said Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a press conference Friday
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he is “livid” after being “misled” when told details of the shooting at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 children and two adults.
“Short answer, yes, I was misled,” said Abbott, 64, at a press conference Friday. “I am livid about what happened.”
He continued, “I was on this very stage two days ago, and I was telling the public information that had been told to me in a room just a few yards behind where we’re looking at right now. I wrote down hand notes in detail about what everybody in that room told me in sequential order. As everybody has learned, the information that I was given turned out, in part, to be inaccurate. And I’m absolutely livid about that.”
The Republican governor went on to announce the OneStar Foundation “to assist with ongoing challenges that would be faced by the victims of this crime.”
During a press conference on Wednesday captured by several media outlets, Abbott said, “The reality is, as horrible as what happed, it could’ve been worse. The reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do. They showed amazing courage by running toward gunfire for the singular purpose of trying to save lives. It is a fact that because of their quick response, getting on the scene, being able to respond to the gunman, and eliminate the gunman, they were able to save lives. Unfortunately, not enough.”
Since Abbott’s remarks on Wednesday, it has been revealed that approximately 20 officers waited in a hallway for more than 45 minutes, the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Col. Steven McCraw, said. They finally engaged with the gunman after Border Patrol agents used a master key to open the door.
By that time, the victims were dead.
“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision,” McCraw told reporters. “It was a wrong decision. There’s no excuse for that. We believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can. When there’s an active shooter, the rules change.”
The shooter entered the building through a door that a teacher had propped open. According to McCraw, the school officer was not initially on campus when the gunman breached the school.
McCraw said that the commander believed the gunman had barricaded himself into an empty classroom, and that no children were at risk. “He believed that it had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded subject,” he said.
The Associated Press reported that many parents at the scene urged police to follow the shooter into the school. When the police remained outside, at least one parent tried to enter the school himself, only to be pinned to the ground by an officer. A video of the altercation was posted on YouTube on Wednesday.
Authorities promise a complete and transparent investigation into the police response to the shooting.
The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the “Robb School Memorial Fund”) or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.
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