Texas police defend 'complex' shooting response as more details emerge

Law enforcement officials in Texas defended their response to the Uvalde elementary school shooting, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.

The Regional Director for the Department of Public Safety South Texas Region said that there was a complex situation at Robb Elementary School on Tuesday.

The Border Patrol team that killed the shooter was waiting for an hour outside of the fourth- grade classroom, but they wouldn't say what they were doing. He said that the shooter did not have any demands, but later said that they were getting negotiators on-site.

There was no school resource officer at the scene, as officials, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, had initially described. At a press conference on Wednesday, Abbott said that an officer had confronted the shooter, but that no officer was present.

The shooter had barricaded himself inside the classroom, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety. The detail was not given further information when asked about it on Thursday.

We've been given a lot of bad information, so why don't you explain to us how your officers were able to save people? He would eventually answer the questions, but he needed more time to explain why.

The Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez said in his statement that questions are surfacing regarding the details of what occurred, but that police had responded within minutes. Initially, police said the man was wearing body armor.

Law enforcement officials on-site were milling around outside the school while parents urged them to enter the building or borrow equipment so they could attempt to save their children.

The police waited outside the school for at least 40 minutes while parents and onlookers urged them to do something.

The father of Jacklyn Cazares, who was killed in the attack, told the AP that the cops aren't doing anything like they are supposed to.

Cazares told the Washington Post that police officers told them to move back after hearing gunshots. We wanted to destroy the building. We wanted to get our babies out because we were so worried.

The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that one mother was one of many who encouraged police and other law enforcement to enter the school. After a few minutes, she said, federal marshals approached her and put her in handcuffs, telling her she was being arrested for intervening in an active investigation.

Video from the scene of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, shows police pushing back community members demanding answers, some of whom claim to be parents of students inside.

Angeli Rose Gomez, who had children in second and third grade, told the Journal that she persuaded local Uvalde police officers to set her free. The scene around her was frantic. She said she saw a father being tackled by police and a third being pepper- sprayed. After being freed from her handcuffs, Gomez ran to the school to grab her two children. She ran out of the school with them.

The aunt of one of the victims told the New York Times that her niece's stepfather was handcuffed and restrained by police when he tried to help her.

"No one was telling him anything," said the niece of the man.

He was trying to find out what happened to Amerie Jo. He wanted to know where his daughter was.

A video posted to social media seems to support the reporting, showing police restraining parents outside of the school, including holding one person on the ground. Uvalde, a small city of 16,000 people, spends 40 percent of its annual budget on police.

When asked if he had heard of parents begging officers to do something, he said he hadn't verified it yet.

We are getting a lot of information and we are trying to find out what is true.

The latest information on the shooting was provided during the Thursday afternoon press conference. After shooting his grandmother in the face, the teen entered the school through an unlocked door, and he was killed by police.

Uvalde and district police took cover when they were shot at. The authorities did not enter the school because of the gunfire.

Tactical teams. We need some equipment. We need specialized equipment. "We need negotiators, precision riflemen, and we need to evacuate students and teachers during this time." An hour later, a Border Patrol agent killed Ramos.

At his Wednesday press conference, Abbott praised the police response.

The reality is that it could have been worse. They ran towards gunfire for the purpose of saving lives. They were able to save lives because of their quick response getting on the scene and being able to eliminate the shooter. Not enough.

In an interview with San Antonio outlet KENS 5, a fourth graders said that police officers may have caused another child to get shot by hiding from the shooter.

When the cops came, the cop said "Yell if you need help!" and one of the people in my class said "help." The guy shot at the cop. The cops started shooting.

Law enforcement did not provide a televised press briefing on Tuesday evening. Abbott spoke briefly about the shooting before attending a campaign event. The school district leadership gave statements without giving any details or taking questions.

The lieutenant of the Texas Department of Public Safety told CNN that they were still gathering information about what happened and why it took so long to enter the building.

As a father myself, I would want to go in too, but it is a volatile situation.

The school had a video that the FBI was looking for.