A new report states that a Uvalde, Texas, police officer adjusted the sights of his firearm to fire at the shooter who massacred 19 children and two teachers on May 24 before the shooter entered Robb Elementary School but waited for permission from his supervisor.
That news came via a report from the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training, according to reporter Tony Plohetski. He added that the report “cites 3 missed chances to slow the gunman before he entered the building.”
The report by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training cites 3 missed chances to slow the gunman before he entered the building. It says officers who tried to stop him in the classroom "lost momentum" after taking fire as more weapons, including tear gas arrived. 2/4
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) July 6, 2022
Plohetski’s report does not indicate whether the police officer referred to in the report is the same officer as the one The New York Times acknowledged “hesitated when he had a brief chance to shoot the gunman approaching a school in Uvalde, Texas, because he did not want to hit children.”
The Times noted “the quick arrival of several officers on May 24 reflected the speed with which the initial response took place,” adding, “It also made clear the agonizing decisions law enforcement officers had to make as they confronted the gunman, who was firing shots outside the school; the officer who arrived with a rifle had only seconds to make a decision, and feared that firing his weapon could have meant hitting children, the senior sheriff’s deputy said.”
The Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training report said police could have tried to enter the classroom “through sheetrock, windows, and other means,” Plohetski added.
The report says officers could have tried to breach the classroom through sheetrock, windows, and other means. "While we do not have definitive information at this point, it is possible that some of the people who died during this event could have been saved." 3/4
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) July 6, 2022
Sheetrock is a form of drywall. Drywall usually has a thickness of ¼, ½, or ⅝ inches.
“Bullets will go through your wall very easily, especially if it’s just a piece of Sheetrock,” Dr. Karl Chang, an applications development engineer at the DuPont Kevlar Ballistic Group stated to Popular Mechanics.
Over the weekend, Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo resigned from his position on the city council after law enforcement was criticized for its handling of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Arredondo had previously been placed on administrative leave over his response to the May 24 mass shooting that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers. District Superintendent Hal Harrell said that Lt. Mike Hernandez would assume Arredondo’s role temporarily, according to CNN.
“Because of the lack of clarity that remains and the unknown timing of when I will receive the results of the investigations, I have made the decision to place Chief Arredondo on administrative leave effective on this date,” Harrell said in a statement.