UVALDE, Texas – The horrific scope of an elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers was coming into agonizing focus Thursday amid new revelations about the attack, including that the gunman barricaded himself in a fourth grade classroom where most victims died.
Some community members who had gathered outside Robb Elementary School as the drama unfolded urged police officers to charge in. Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said a Border Patrol tactical team shot the gunman 40 minutes to an hour after he opened fire on a school security officer.
“The bottom line is law enforcement was there,” McCraw said. “They did engage immediately. They did contain (the gunman) in the classroom.”
Javier Cazares, whose fourth grade daughter, Jacklyn Cazares, was killed in the attack, said he arrived at the scene while police were still gathered outside the building. Upset that police were not moving in, he raised the idea of charging into the school with several other bystanders.
“Let’s just rush in because the cops aren’t doing anything like they are supposed to,” he said. “More could have been done.”
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HOW IT HAPPENED:Timeline: How Texas elementary school shooting, deadliest since Sandy Hook, unfolded
‘Hearts are forever shattered’
As officials work to piece together what happened, grieving residents tried to comprehend the unimaginable loss and console friends and neighbors. In Uvalde, a South Texas city of 16,000 residents, nearly everyone knew a family touched by the bloodshed – either directly or indirectly. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said 17 other people were wounded, and that the parents of each victim had been informed of their deaths.
“To say the least, Uvalde has been shaken to its core,” said Abbott, who choked back tears in a news conference at Uvalde High School. “Families are broken apart. Hearts are forever shattered, and all Texans are grieving with the people of Uvalde.”
Beto O’Rourke challenges Gov. Abbott
During the news conference, Abbott said the gunman sent social media messages about his intentions half an hour before the deadly rampage. Shortly after his revelation, former congressman Beto O’Rourke confronted the governor over “doing nothing” about gun violence.
Before being escorted away, O’Rourke said: “This is on you until you choose to do something different. This will continue to happen. Somebody needs to stand up for the children of this state or they will continue to be killed just like they were killed in Uvalde yesterday.”
What do we know about the Texas school shooting victims?
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the shooting, Texas Department of Public Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez said. A U.S. Border Protection agent, one of several responding to the scene, shot and killed the gunman, a senior Department of Homeland Security official told USA TODAY on Tuesday night.
All the children were fourth graders, and their names are starting to come out, along with the identification of two longtime teachers who were among the victims: Eva Mireles, 44, and Irma Garcia.
Audrey Garcia, a parent of one of Mireles’s former students, thanked the teacher for supporting her daughter Gabby, now 23, when she was in third grade. In a Twitter tribute, Garcia called Mireles a “beautiful person & dedicated teacher.”
“There are no words,” she wrote. Read more here.
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Gunmaker draws scrutiny – Uvalde shooter bought one of its rifles
Gun manufacturer Daniel Defense, which saw its sales spike after the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre, is coming under scrutiny following the shooting at a Texas elementary school because the
Schools on alert across the nation
Schools around the country increased security as a precaution. Schools in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Virginia, Maryland and Florida were among those offering counseling.
In Connecticut, where the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting killed 20 first graders and six educators, state police said they were sending extra troopers to schools Wednesday, although no specific threats had been received.
“This assault on the most innocent of our citizens is deeply disturbing and heartbreaking,” Connecticut state police Col. Stavros Mellekas said in a statement. “At this time, our focus will be on protecting all school populations here in our state.”
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Contributing: The Associated Press