This was a wake up call for small town police, teachers at small town schools, and people on social media who see disturbing posts that need to be reported.
I think most of his messages were private, hence they were only known after the fact.
People just thought he was "weird"...
He was corresponding with people that didn't know him in person
OTOH - I believe "It can't happen here" attitude was a good reason why the response was the way it was...
I don't mean to disparage small towns in any way, but I do think that a lack of experience compared to a big city does factor in, as well as whatever distance is required for the tactical police to arrive. I don't know, was the nearest team in San Antonio or something and had to be called in from there?
I always do admit that here in NYC there is crime, of course, so a very experienced NYPD, which has seen everything, clearly cannot stop all crime. But I also do believe, since they HAVE seen everything, that the response would have been immediate and that a SWAT team would have been onsite in minutes.
There is a very strong ethos in LE, as with the military, that a chain of command must be obeyed. I do see the news now (on all MSM and linked previously) that the tactical cops were desperate to go in, feel now that they look like cowards, and eventually would not obey command anymore and went in. I believe they will be haunted forever that children were being slaughtered on the other side of the door which they were forbidden to breach.
I know that as a mom and grandma and aunt, if any of my little ones were trapped inside, I too would try to enter the school. The rational part of me knows I may have been killed and therefore could not rescue my kids, but it would be unbearable for me to bide my time outside when I see the police outside and not inside. Or knowing they are inside for an hour but not bringing out my kids.
As to SR contacting other teens online and hinting at his plans, I blame whomever is responsible at this Yubo site for not informing Texas police immediately after receiving messages from SR's contacts.
What is a 15-year old girl in Germany supposed to do, other than contacting Yubo, as she claims? She's 15, a youngish teen. Is she going to infer that this stranger is serious? Is she going to have the mental and emotional wherewithal to alert some authority who can contact Texas police? Did she even know his actual location? Would she even tell her parents? I assume there are many trolls on these sites. She may not even have understood the implications, since this doesn't seem to happen as much in Europe.
Even the girl whom he threatened to rape, did she tell her parents or contact authorities? Did she know he was in this little town of Uvalve, Texas?
But the Yubo people should have been able to tell where SR's messages were originating from, so it's my opinion that they should have responded immediately to the messages they were getting from SR's contacts and alerted the local LE in Uvalve.
JMO
