Fury erupts as leaked Texas shooting CCTV shows police checking phones and using sanitiser
13 July 2022, 09:34 | Updated: 13 July 2022, 09:50
CCTV shows Uvalde cops standing around as school shooting unfolded
Fury has erupted after new CCTV footage of the Texas school massacre emerged showing police officers in body armour waiting in the hallway of Robb Elementary School while a gunman fired on children and teachers.
Heavily armed police officers, some with rifles and bulletproof shields can be seen massed in the hallway of the school in Uvalde, waiting more than an hour before going inside and stopping the massacre.
Nineteen fourth-grade students and two teachers were killed in the massacre.
The footage from the hallway, which until now had not surfaced publicly, at one point shows an officer pumping hand sanitiser from a wall mount on to his hands despite the carnage around him.
CCTV shows shooter stalking the halls of Ulvalde school
The footage mutes the sound of children screaming. It shows gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, approach the school, firing on two civilians before entering the school.
Read more: Twitter sues Elon Musk for pulling out of deal and accuses him of 'trashing' the company
The leaked footage shows police stalled in the hallway for 77 minutes, checking their phones and running away from gunfire as Ramos fired more than 100 rounds at children in two classrooms.
Angry Uvalde residents have renewed calls for action to be taken against police in the small South Texas city after the footage emerged.
Hours after the video was published, furious residents at a Uvalde City Council meeting demanded that police face consequences.
The footage from a hallway camera inside the school shows the gunman entering the building with a AR-15 style rifle and includes 911 tape of a teacher screaming, "Get down! Get in your rooms! Get in your rooms!"
Two officers approach the classrooms minutes after the gunman enters, then run back amid the sounds of gunfire.
As the gunman first approaches the classrooms a child down the hallway can be seen poking their head around the corner and then running back while shots ring out.
Later, about 20 minutes before police breach the room, the video shows a man wearing a vest that says "sheriff" use a hand sanitiser dispenser mounted on the wall.
Officials said the 77 minutes of footage they are preparing to release does not contain images of children in the classroom.
Republican politician Dustin Burrows, who is leading the investigation, said after the video was posted by the Statesman that "watching the entire segment of law enforcement's response, or lack thereof, is also important".
But the video alone does not answer all the questions that remain nearly two months later about the law enforcement response.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said: "This has been the most unprofessional investigation or handling of it that I've ever seen in my life.
"These families get blindsided constantly."
Last weekend, parents and community members came together to demand answers about the attack, with hundreds marching through the city calling for accountability.
The Unheard Voices March and Rally started at the school, with people carrying signs reading 'Remember Their Names, and chanting 'Save Our Kids,' according to the New York Times.
Relatives took turns reading their loved ones' names and recounting their shattered dreams.
The march was organised by Javier Cazares, whose 9-year-old daughter, Jackie was killed in the shooting.
He said parents were demanding a detailed explanation about what happened during the police response on May 24, and demanding officials hold those at fault accountable.
Some are also calling for gun control measures to be enacted in the politically conservative state.
"We want accountability from all levels - local level, county level, state level, federal level," said mother Tina Quintanilla-Taylor, who pulled her child out of school early that day.
