Criticism of the law enforcement response in Uvalde became sharper Tuesday after footage from the school’s hallway, published by the Austin American-Statesman and KVUE-TV, revealed shocking inaction by officers — including a break for hand sanitizer, a fist bump and a hug between officers.
The video, edited to remove children’s screams, is the first to be shown to the public, defying the Uvalde County district attorney’s orders to contain it. State Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, had vowed to release the footage Sunday afternoon after providing families and the Uvalde community an opportunity to see it first, leading many to express outrage over the leak.
The 82-minute video shows the moments between the first call to 911 and police confronting the shooter, who fired at least 142 rounds at Robb Elementary School, according to Texas Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw. In that time, 19 children and two teachers were killed. At least 17 others were wounded. It was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history.
Below is a condensed timeline of the events in the video, highlighting some of the noteworthy moments.
11:30 a.m.
The video begins with a view from outside the school. Two people on the left side of the screen walk toward the gunman after he crashes his truck.
11:32 a.m.
A view from outside the building is shown while audio from a 911 call is played. The teacher who made the call says, “The kids are running. Oh my God. Get in your rooms, get in your rooms.”
11:33 a.m.
A camera mounted on the ceiling shows the gunman enter the school through a side door. He is holding an assault-style rifle and wearing what appears to be a vest or backpack.
He walks toward the camera before turning right and heading toward Classrooms 111 and 112.
A child enters the frame from the left and walks toward the intersection of hallways. The gunman is several yards away, and the child pauses to peer around the corner.
The child turns and runs when shots are fired.
At the end of the hallway, the gunman fires randomly into a doorway. Two bursts of gunfire are heard.
He then turns left and walks into a classroom. More than a dozen bursts of gunfire are heard over the course of two minutes.
11:36 a.m.
The first group of officers enters the frame from the right. Officers also appear to enter the building on the opposite side of the hallway.
About a minute later, a burst of gunfire is heard and the officers scatter to opposite ends of the hallway.
11:52 a.m.
An officer brings in a ballistic shield. Officers stand behind the shield with their guns pointed at the classroom for about half an hour.
12:21 p.m.
Officers begin moving down the hallway toward the gunman — about 45 minutes after they initially entered the school.
Groups of officers are gathered at the end of the hallway near the camera and toward the middle of the hallway.
At one point, an officer is heard saying, “They’re making entry.” It’s unclear to whom the officer is referring; none of the officers on camera enter the room.
Over the next several minutes, officers walk to and from the middle of the hallway, but no moves toward the classroom are made.
12:30 p.m.
Two officers briefly hug at the end of the hallway. Seconds later, one of them, wearing a ballistic vest and helmet, gets hand sanitizer from a dispenser mounted on the wall.
12:41 p.m.
Two officers wearing camouflage fist bump each other.
12:48 p.m.
Someone is heard saying, “Everybody, heads up.”
A man wearing surgical gloves and a stethoscope appears to start giving directions to officers. He does not appear to have a gun and is not wearing any ballistic gear.
12:50 p.m.
A burst of gunfire is heard from the classroom.
Several officers start down the hallway, but the man in the surgical gloves holds up his hands and tells officers not to approach. He repeatedly instructs officers to stay back as overlapping shouts are heard.
