A Uvalde mom who says she was handcuffed by law enforcement while trying to rescue her sons from the school shooting claims that she was warned not to speak to the media.
Angeli Gomez, a farmworker in Uvalde, spoke to CBS News on Thursday about how she was able to rush into Robb Elementary School and save her kids even though law enforcement tried to stop her.
When she first heard about the shooting, Gomez had just returned to work after her children's graduation ceremony. She went back to the school but said she couldn't enter.
As soon as I parked my car, US marshals came towards my car and said I wasn't allowed to be there. I told him that he was going to have to arrest me because I was going in there.
The US marshals handcuffed her to stop her from going to the school.
I told the officer that I didn't need his protection. Leave me. I don't need you to protect me. She told CBS News that she needed you to protect her children.
The US marshals denied handcuffing parents, telling WSJ that their deputy marshals "maintained order and peace in the midst of the grief- stricken community that was gathering around the school."
Our interview on @CBSMornings with Angeli Gómez. The most gripping account from a mother in #Uvalde who, after being handcuffed and released, still went in to save her kids. She is a farm worker, a fierce protector. I am hearing from mothers watching this MORNING, “I AM HER”
03:19 PM - 03 Jun 2022
According to CBS News, Gomez claimed that she had received a call from someone in law enforcement telling her that if she kept talking to the media and sharing her story she would face some kind of violation for obstruction of justice.
According to CBS News, Gomez said she was able to speak out after a judge called her "brave."
Uvalde police did not respond to requests for comment, and it was not possible to verify Gomez's story.
She jumped over a fence and rushed into the building to get her two sons, who are in the second and third grade, as soon as she was freed. She said police chased her while she ran.
Gomez said she could hear gunshots coming from somewhere in the school while she was in there. She recalled seeing teachers and students hiding inside when she knocked on the door of her son's classroom.
Gomez said the teacher asked if they had time to leave and she replied, "You have time, I'm going to run and get my other son."
She ran back to get her child after authorities tried to escort her out of the building.
Gomez ran out of the school while holding her sons' hands.
She said nothing was being done. Law enforcement was being more aggressive on us parents.
In several videos shared on social media, authorities confronted desperate parents who were angry that police officers weren't rushing in to save their children during the shooting.
A parent in one of the videos asked why police weren't trying to save their children.
The officer said that he was having to deal with the person.
After it was revealed that police did not enter the classroom to confront the shooter for more than an hour after the shooting began, there was a national uproar. The police response to the attack has been the subject of an investigation by the justice department.
Gomez broke down in tears as she talked about how she was able to save her children.
Gomez said they could have saved a lot of lives. The whole class could have been saved if they went into the classroom. They could have taken him through the window and killed him. Nothing was being done.
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