Latest news with #SalvadorRamos
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Daily Mail
Heart-wrenching footage shows parents begging cops to storm elementary school in tense moments after gunman opened fire
Devastating body camera footage captured the desperate pleas from parents begging officers in Uvalde, Texas, to act during the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting. Nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers were shot by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos on May 24, 2022, making it one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. Officers arrived at the scene just three minutes after Ramos opened fire, but they took well over an hour to execute a plan and kill the shooter while children trapped inside the classroom desperately called for help. Newly released videos and records from the massacre, including hundreds of pages of files and hours of body camera video, show in greater detail the heartbreak and failures. In one portion of body camera footage, multiple parents are heard begging the officers to storm the school after the gunman opened fire. 'Whose class is he in?' one parent can be heard asking. Another comes up and yells, 'Come on, man, my daughter is in there!' 'Either you go in or I´m going in, bro,' one parent says, adding seconds later, 'My kids are in there, bro. Please!' Other videos show officers from multiple departments inside the school hallway and standing outside the classroom. An officer involved in the initial response can be heard saying, 'We can't see him at all', before adding, 'We were at the front and he started shooting'. The officer wearing the bodycam asks: 'He's in a classroom, right?' Another officer responds: 'With kids.' 'Something needs to be done ASAP,' a voice can be heard saying almost an hour before anyone charged into the classroom. Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers. A Department of Justice review later cited 'cascading failures' in the handling of the massacre, while another report by Texas lawmakers faulted law enforcement at every level with failing 'to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety'. Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, another former school district officer, are the only two officers who face criminal charges for their actions that day. They both have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year. In April, the city of Uvalde approved a $2 million settlement with the victims' families. Nineteen fourth-graders and two teachers at Robb Elementary were shot by 18-year-old Salvador Ramos on May 24, 2022 The families' lawsuit against the city will now require enhanced training for city police officers, while also expanding mental health services for families and kids in the Uvalde area. As part of the settlement, the city also agreed to set May 24 as an annual day of remembrance and establish a permanent memorial in the city plaza. They have also filed a $500 million lawsuit in federal court against Texas state police troopers and other officials in the department. Two other suits - filed in Texas and California - have targeted Meta, the parent company of Instagram, and Activision, the maker of 'Call of Duty,' a first-person shooter game Ramos played frequently. The suits contend that Meta and Activision 'knowingly exposed' Ramos to the AR-15 he used in his rampage. Daniel Defense, the gun manufacturer for the AR-15 used by Ramos, is also named in the legal action. 'This three-headed monster knowingly exposed him to the weapon, conditioned him to see it as a tool to solve his problems and trained him to use it,' the complaint said. The families are also suing 92 officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Uvalde Consolidated School District, and individual employees.
Fox News
6 days ago
- Fox News
New Uvalde body camera video captures parents pleading with officers during 70-minute delay
Newly released body camera video captures parents begging officers to storm Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, when a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022. The video was part of the final batch of documents local authorities withheld during a yearslong legal battle over public access, which was ultimately released this week. In July, board members of the Uvalde CISD unanimously voted in favor of releasing the records from the horrifying mass shooting at Robb Elementary, after 38 months of silence, grief and legal roadblocks. Parents could be heard on the released video begging police to storm the elementary school, minutes after the horrific mass shooting by 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos, marking one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history. One parent is heard asking, "Whose class is he in?" while another parent yells, "Come on man, my daughter is in there!" The Associated Press reported that several other videos show officers inside the building and standing outside, with some suggesting they throw gas through the window or search for a key to a locked classroom. Parents made their way toward a fence and yelled at officers to do something about the shooter. "Either you go in or I'm going in, bro," an angry parent could be heard telling an officer. "My kids are in there, bro… Please!" Officers continued to tell the parents to get back and stand back. Videos also showed confusion among officers moments before they stormed the classroom from the school hallway that day. Along with six hours of body camera video, the documents disclosed that deputies visited Ramos' home three months before the shooting after his mother said she was afraid of him. Body camera video released a year ago shows police officers moving through the hallways of Robb Elementary School, as well as audio from a frantic 911 call made by teachers inside the building. One of the terrified teachers who frantically dialed 911 described "a lot, a whole lot of gunshots," while another sobbed into the phone as a dispatcher urged her to stay quiet. "Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!" the first teacher cried before hanging up. The delayed law enforcement response to the shooting — nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers — has been widely condemned as a massive failure. Just before arriving at the school, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at her home. He then took a pickup truck from the home and drove to Robb Elementary. The shooting has been the subject of multiple state and local investigations, which unilaterally condemned the police response. The police response included nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials, as well as school and city police. While dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do, students inside the classroom called 911 on cellphones, begging for help, and desperate parents who had gathered outside the building pleaded with officers to go in. A tactical team eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Desperate parents pleaded with officers to act during Uvalde school shooting, video shows
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Desperate parents begged law enforcement officers to storm an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in the frantic minutes after a gunman opened fire in one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history, police body camera video released Tuesday shows. 'Whose class is he in?' one parent can be heard asking. Another comes up and yells, 'Come on man, my daughter is in there!' The heartbreaking videos show the agonizingly slow law enforcement response along with confusion and delays. Authorities failed to confront 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos for more than an hour after the attack at Robb Elementary School began on May 24, 2022. Nineteen students and two teachers were killed. The records released Tuesday are the final batch of documents that local authorities withheld during a yearslong legal battle over public access. Family members of the victims were among those pushing for the the records to be released. Several bodycam videos show officers from multiple departments inside the school hallway and standing outside, some suggesting throwing gas in the window or searching for a key to the locked classroom. But it's unclear who is in charge. Within minutes, parents making their way to a fence near the school yell at officers to do something. One parent angrily says, 'Either you go in or I'm going in bro,' adding a few seconds later, 'My kids are in there, bro. ... Please!' In one video, an officer involved in the initial response can be heard saying, 'We can't see him at all' before adding, 'We were at the front and he started shooting.' The officer wearing the bodycam asks: 'He's in a classroom right?' Another officer responds: 'With kids.' Documents released Monday by the school district offer the most detailed look yet at the gunman whose downward spiral began in middle school with a series of suspensions and warnings for harassment and bullying. He dropped out of school just months before the shooting. Sheriff's deputies went to the gunman's home on two consecutive nights just three months before the attack because he was arguing with his mother over Wi-Fi and broken video game equipment after she turned off the internet, county's records released Tuesday reveal. Adriana Reyes said her son never hit her but told deputies she was scared of him and needed help, a report said. Ramos' grandmother picked him up one night, and deputies drove him there the next night. Media organizations, including The Associated Press, sued the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Uvalde County in 2022 for the release of their records. A Texas appeals court in July upheld a lower court's ruling that the records must be made public. Last year, city officials in Uvalde released body camera footage and recordings of 911 calls. Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers. Federal and state investigations later looked into law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers. At one point during the massacre, officers can be seen tucked in recesses in the hallway as one outside the building says: 'They are taking him out. Stand by.' But the minutes tick past. 'We are waiting,' an officer outside says. Minutes later, a voice can be heard saying over a loudspeaker: 'Please put your firearm down. We don't want anyone else hurt.' Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, another former school district officer, are the only two officers who face criminal charges for their actions that day. They both have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year. ___ The story has been corrected to show deputies went to the gunman's house on two consecutive nights, not three. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio. Associated Press reporters Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Missouri; Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Andrew DeMillo in Little Rock, Arkansas; Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia; and Ed White in Detroit contributed.
The Independent
7 days ago
- The Independent
Uvalde County leaders release video, records showing response to school shooting that left 21 dead
County leaders in Uvalde, Texas, released police body camera video and documents on Tuesday detailing the law enforcement response during one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Authorities were roundly criticized for their slow response during the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School and for failing to confront 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos for more than an hour. In one video released Tuesday, an officer involved in the initial response can be heard saying, 'We can't see him at all' before adding, 'We were at the front and he started shooting.' The officer wearing the body cam asks: 'He's in a classroom right?' Another officer responds: 'With kids.' The records released Tuesday are the final batch of documents that local authorities withheld during a yearslong legal battle over public access. Family members of the victims were among those pushing for the the records to be released. Media organizations, including The Associated Press, sued the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Uvalde County in 2022 for the release of their records. A Texas appeals court in July upheld a lower court's ruling that the records must be made public. Last year, city officials in Uvalde released body camera footage and recordings of 911 calls. Documents released by the school district on Monday detailed the gunman's downward spiral beginning in middle school, including his dropping out of school just months before the massacre. Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers. Federal and state investigations later looked into law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers. Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, another former school district officer, are the only two officers who face criminal charges for their actions that day. They both have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year. ___
Associated Press
7 days ago
- Associated Press
Uvalde County leaders release video, records showing response to school shooting that left 21 dead
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — County leaders in Uvalde, Texas, released police body camera video and documents on Tuesday detailing the law enforcement response during one of the deadliest classroom attacks in U.S. history that left 19 students and two teachers dead. Authorities were roundly criticized for their slow response during the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School and for failing to confront 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos for more than an hour. In one video released Tuesday, an officer involved in the initial response can be heard saying, 'We can't see him at all' before adding, 'We were at the front and he started shooting.' The officer wearing the body cam asks: 'He's in a classroom right?' Another officer responds: 'With kids.' The records released Tuesday are the final batch of documents that local authorities withheld during a yearslong legal battle over public access. Family members of the victims were among those pushing for the the records to be released. Media organizations, including The Associated Press, sued the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Uvalde County in 2022 for the release of their records. A Texas appeals court in July upheld a lower court's ruling that the records must be made public. Last year, city officials in Uvalde released body camera footage and recordings of 911 calls. Documents released by the school district on Monday detailed the gunman's downward spiral beginning in middle school, including his dropping out of school just months before the massacre. Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers. Federal and state investigations later looked into law enforcement training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers. Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales, another former school district officer, are the only two officers who face criminal charges for their actions that day. They both have pleaded not guilty to child endangerment and abandonment and are scheduled for trial later this year. ___ Seewer reported from Toledo, Ohio.
