Texas Republican Governor Greg Abbott said Friday that he was misled about the Uvalde, Texas, elementary school shooting.
Reports initially indicated that a school resource officer confronted the shooter and that law enforcement acted swiftly. But now, as questions swirl about the timeline of events and just how long it took authorities to stop the killer, the governor says that he was misled about the massacre, which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers.
“As everybody has learned, the information that I was given turned out to — in part — to be inaccurate and I’m absolutely livid about that!” Abbott exclaimed.
The governor claimed the information he told the public before when he praised first responders was “a recitation” of what he was told by law enforcement officials. Abbott said he expects the Texas Rangers (DPS) and the FBI to conduct an investigation into the response and “get to the bottom of every fact with absolute certainty.”
Later in the press conference, Abbott made it clear that he wants every act of every individual involved in the tragedy at Robb Elementary School to be investigated. He also noted that new laws would almost certainly pass to prevent future tragedies such as the mass shooting that took the lives of 21 people on Tuesday.
“Let me make one thing perfectly clear. The status quo is unacceptable,” Abbott said. “This crime is unacceptable. We’re not going to be here talking about it and do nothing about it. We will be looking for the best laws that we can get passed to make our communities and schools safer.”
Uvalde Mayor Don McClaughlin was also confused by the new information about the police response, and said that he was “blown away.”
“I don’t have an answer for you yet,” he commented.
The press conference was held after The New York Times reported that local police on scene at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, stopped elite Border Patrol agents from entering the school when they first arrived as a shooter murdered 19 children and two teachers Tuesday, according to officials.
“Officials described a harrowing series of 911 calls, including made by children inside the school,” the Times wrote. “When specially equipped federal immigration agents arrived at Robb Elementary School, local police told them to hold off from confronting the gunman, officials say.”