Texas Police Chief Says Key ‘Was Not Needed,’ Uvalde Shooter Could’ve Been Stopped In Three Minutes

On Tuesday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw called the police response to the Uvalde school shooting an “abject failure,” and revealed that there were enough officers on scene to stop the shooter within three minutes of entering Robb Elementary School, but officers waited for “a key that was not needed.” Two teachers and 19 students were killed in the shooting.

“There’s compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything we’ve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre,” McCraw said.

“Three minutes after the subject entered the West building, there was sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to isolate, distract, and neutralize the subject,” McCraw continued. “The only thing stopping the hallway of dedicated officers from entering room 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.”

Children were trapped inside one of the classrooms for one hour, 14 minutes and eight seconds, McCraw said, as Uvalde school district police Chief Pete Arredondo “waited for a radio, and rifles. Then he waited for shields. Then he waited for SWAT. Lastly, he waited for a key that was never needed.”

“I have great reasons to believe it was never secured,” McCraw said of the door. “How about trying the door and seeing if it’s locked?”

“Obviously, not enough training was done in this situation, plain and simple. Because terrible decisions were made by the on-site commander,” McCraw added.