Police face growing criticism over response to Texas school shooting as parents speak out

UVALDE, Texas — With criticism swelling about the police response to the Texas elementary school massacre, a law enforcement official said Thursday that the gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers entered the school “unobstructed” through an unlocked door 12 minutes after police were alerted about a man nearby with a rifle.

Those fateful minutes — and an hour in which the police took cover outside the classroom, apparently seeking to negotiate with an active shooter — have become the focal point of questions from parents and law enforcement experts about whether more could have been done to halt the unfolding tragedy.

Victor Escalon, South Texas regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said at a news briefing that the gunman, Salvador Ramos, 18, did not initially encounter any police officers when he entered Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday and opened fire.

Ramos shot most of his victims inside the school within the first few minutes of entering, Escalon said. He was unable to explain why it took an hour for a federal special weapons team to enter the classroom and kill the gunman.

As chaos engulfed the small, predominately Latino community outside the school, some Uvalde residents — including parents who lost children — criticized the police response. Videos posted on social