TX - Uvalde; Robb Elementary, 19 children and 3 adults killed, shooter dead, 24 MAY 2022 #3

[Doghairrules]

ETA: Recent reports show the position of school district police chief is the highest-paid position in law enforcement in Uvalde. I think much was expected of the individually filling these shoes -- the children of the community were being placed in the hands of the successful candidate.
Tragically, I think small-town politics got in the way of hiring the best-qualified person for this job.

RSBM. I totally agree and I also agree with a previous poster (it may have been you, Seattle1) who pointed out early on that he may have been thinking of this as a sunsetting job into retirement. Like he wanted to move back to his hometown and a slower pace. And so when his back was against the wall, he couldn't handle it. MOO

 

[Doghairrules]

From the report linked in the article above:

At 11:35:55, all three Uvalde Police Department (UPD) officers entered the structure through the west door into the west hallway. These officers were equipped with the following: one with external armor and two with concealable body armor, two rifles, and three pistols.

At 11:36:00, four officers entered the south hallway through the south door closest to the suspect. It is not clear what equipment these officers had with them. Four more officers entered the west hallway through the west door at 11:36:03. Three of these officers were from the UPD and one was from the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department (UCISD PD). They were equipped with three external body armor carriers and one with concealable body armor and pistols. (ISS) It did not appear that any of the officers were in possession of breaching tools, medical equipment, ballistic shields, or “go-bags.”

(ISS) NOTE: A “go-bag” is typically a bag or backpack that is widely used in the law enforcement community to respond to critical incidents. The “go-bag” commonly consists of spare ammunition, medical equipment, and breaching tools. The purpose of the “go-bag” is to carry equipment needed for a specialized response, when carrying that equipment on a regular basis is not feasible. Taking a “go-bag” into a crisis site facilitates the availability and implementation of these tools in a patrol response where tactical assets and teams are not readily available.

 

[sds71]

“They were good kids, funny. A lot of them were ambitious,” he said.

“I had all kinds of kids in there, so, you know, from one extreme to the other, it was just like, oh my God. But they all got along together so great. They just, they had a bond, they had a real bond,” he added.

Reyes, the proud teacher, wiped his eyes. “I love those kids.”

Uvalde teacher feels forgotten by the officers sent to rescue him and his students | CNN

Robb Elementary teacher Arnie Reyes tells CNN he could hear law enforcement outside his classroom during the mass shooting but no one came in to help.

www.cnn.com

 

[Doghairrules]

More from the report. It's like these officers didn't even have basic training:

The second issue involves having teams of officers at both ends of the south hallway. ALERRT teaches that a single team should be in a single area of building at a time (ALERRT & FBI, 2020, pp. 2-20 to 2-26 & 7-4). Having multiple teams or splitting an existing team can create a crossfire situation. If the suspect had emerged from the classrooms, officers from both teams presumably would have opened fire resulting in a high likelihood of officers at either end of the hallway shooting officers at the other end. The teams should have quickly communicated, and officers at one end of the hallway should have backed out and redeployed to another position. Additionally, ALERRT teaches that teams consist of up to 4 members (ALERRT and FBI, 2020, pp. 4-1 to 4- 27). Teams larger than 4 tend to create congestion and interfere with the ability of the team to operate quickly and effectively. Therefore, once 4 officers were in the south hallway area of the building, no additional officers were needed in that area. Additional officers should have been assigned other tasks.

 

[Doghairrules]

Diagram from the report.

 

[kaen]

“They were good kids, funny. A lot of them were ambitious,” he said.

“I had all kinds of kids in there, so, you know, from one extreme to the other, it was just like, oh my God. But they all got along together so great. They just, they had a bond, they had a real bond,” he added.

Reyes, the proud teacher, wiped his eyes. “I love those kids.”

Uvalde teacher feels forgotten by the officers sent to rescue him and his students | CNN

Robb Elementary teacher Arnie Reyes tells CNN he could hear law enforcement outside his classroom during the mass shooting but no one came in to help.

www.cnn.com

This article is horrifying in the accounting of what happened to those children and this teacher. It is beyond the beyond. They were feet away and trying to get the attention of the killer but never acted. It is a miracle that this man survived. It is a tragedy that some of those children might have survived but never got the help they needed.

 

[Seattle1]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/07/06/uvalde-school-shooting-report/

7/6/22

A rifle-wielding Uvalde police officer had the Robb Elementary gunman in his sight before he entered the school building but was concerned about hitting children and asked for permission to take the shot — and didn’t get it, according to an after-action report released Tuesday.

The officer’s supervisor “either did not hear the request or responded too late” to stop the 18-year-old shooter — one of several missed opportunities to halt the carnage that ended the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

 

[Seattle1]

Diagram from the report.

Thanks for posting @Doghairrules .

From the Simplified Guide to Incident Command System (ICS) for first responders, or ___ (fill in the blank), to the National Incident Management System (NIMS), all training begins, breaks, and concludes with the same message:

The first 15 minutes of an incident often sets the tone for the entire response.

The ICS Commander showed up at Robb Elementary in name only. He was not present in service--he froze.

(But now he says he did not know he was the Incident Commander).

 

[Seattle1]

“I had all kinds of kids in there, so, you know, from one extreme to the other, it was just like, oh my God. But they all got along together so great. They just, they had a bond, they had a real bond,” he added.

Reyes, the proud teacher, wiped his eyes. “I love those kids.”

^^rsbbm

If I remember correctly, Room 111 and Mr. Reyes were the special needs students. I believe this explains his statement about how diverse his kids were -- "from one extreme to the other."

 

[Lilibet]

This article is horrifying in the accounting of what happened to those children and this teacher. It is beyond the beyond. They were feet away and trying to get the attention of the killer but never acted. It is a miracle that this man survived. It is a tragedy that some of those children might have survived but never got the help they needed.

My husband, a retired 5th grade teacher, watched this video in tears. This is a teacher’s worst nightmare…to lose “their kids.” Most teachers will lay down their lives for their kids. And for help to be right outside and do nothing…words fail.

 

[Shamrock1]

Timeline: New details about the Uvalde school massacre keep contradicting what authorities have said

Since 19 children and two teachers were slaughtered in Uvalde, authorities have repeatedly changed their story about what happened before, during and after the bloody siege. Here's what we know.

www.cnn.com

 

[WingsOverTX]

This article is horrifying in the accounting of what happened to those children and this teacher. It is beyond the beyond. They were feet away and trying to get the attention of the killer but never acted. It is a miracle that this man survived. It is a tragedy that some of those children might have survived but never got the help they needed.

This is heartbreaking & sickening.

I'm confused though. If 11 children died in his classroom, which room were they in? I thought the two adjoining classrooms where the teachers died were the only rooms with victims.

 

[Seattle1]

This is heartbreaking & sickening.

I'm confused though. If 11 children died in his classroom, which room were they in? I thought the two adjoining classrooms where the teachers died were the only rooms with victims.

3 teachers total. The two deceased co-teachers were in room 112.

 

[kaen]

I just keep imagining this teacher recognizing that his students are dying, being unable to comfort them because he will be shot again (and was anyway) and hearing the people who are supposed to help you stand by. And, the teacher reports that the chief is his relative. How do you recover? I don't think you can. The long term effects of this trauma being the lone survivor of your peer teachers and burying all 11 of your assigned children who you have come to love over the year will be astounding.

At a loss each time I open this thread and a new detail of the nightmare that was this rescue operation comes to light.

 

[WingsOverTX]

This is heartbreaking & sickening.

I'm confused though. If 11 children died in his classroom, which room were they in? I thought the two adjoining classrooms where the teachers died were the only rooms with victims.

Responding to my own post.

Mireles & Garcia were co-teachers in adjoining Rooms 111 & 112.

Reyes was also in 111, according to MSM.

All 19 children died in these two rooms.

Is this correct?

 

[kaen]

Responding to my own post.

Mireles & Garcia were co-teachers in adjoining Rooms 111 & 112.

Reyes was also in 111, according to MSM.

All 19 children died in these two rooms.

Is this correct?

Yes, that is what I understand to be the case.

 

[Seattle1]

dbm - double post

 

[Seattle1]

Responding to my own post.

Mireles & Garcia were co-teachers in adjoining Rooms 111 & 112.

Reyes was also in 111, according to MSM.

All 19 children died in these two rooms.

Is this correct?

No, that is not correct.

M & G were co-teachers sharing Rm 112, and Reyes's classroom was 111. Reyes was the special needs teacher in his own classroom. All 19 dead children were from these two classrooms.

Please note the M & G wall ornaments above the desks each in the same classroom.

ETA: The photo was taken 6 weeks before the tragedy.

Natalie Arias, M.Ed.
@natariastx

Eva Mireles and Irma Garcia were two of the greatest teachers Uvalde, TX has ever known. Their classroom was full of fun, growth, giggles, teamwork, and, most of all, love. Their legacy will live in the hearts of our community forever. #uvaldestrong


10:23 PM · May 24, 2022

 

[cvaldez1975]

“They were good kids, funny. A lot of them were ambitious,” he said.

“I had all kinds of kids in there, so, you know, from one extreme to the other, it was just like, oh my God. But they all got along together so great. They just, they had a bond, they had a real bond,” he added.

Reyes, the proud teacher, wiped his eyes. “I love those kids.”

Uvalde teacher feels forgotten by the officers sent to rescue him and his students | CNN

Robb Elementary teacher Arnie Reyes tells CNN he could hear law enforcement outside his classroom during the mass shooting but no one came in to help.

www.cnn.com

#tears

 

[Dotta]

"The mayor of Uvalde, Texas, said in a press release Friday that he supports The Texas House special committee investigating the Robb Elementary School shooting releasing the 77-minute hallway videos.

The videos will most likely be released on Monday and will show the breach that took place on May 24 when a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers.

Mayor Don McLaughlin said that the release of these videos would “bring clarity to public, to the families, and to the survivors,” according to the press release."

Uvalde mayor supports release of mass shooting hallway videos

The mayor of Uvalde said that he supports the release of the hallway videos from the mass shootings.

abcnews.go.com