UVALDE, Texas — Loved ones of the teachers and students who were shot and killed inside of Robb Elementary School on Tuesday want to know what happened.
Their focus is on time. They have questions about what happened and how long it took for law enforcement to take down the shooter.
During a news conference Thursday afternoon, investigators stressed it would take time to figure out exactly what happened. However, they did lay out a timeline of the events they have uncovered thus far.
Officials said the first shots were fired in the suspect’s grandmother’s home, a few blocks away from Robb Elementary School.
Regional Director for DPS South Texas Victor Escalon said at 11:28 a.m., the suspect wrecked a truck he took from his grandmother.
Escalon said, at 11:30 a.m. someone called 911 to report that there was a crash and a man with a gun.
“He walks around. He sees two witnesses at a funeral home across the street. He fires toward them. He continues walking towards the school. He climbs a fence. Now he’s in the parking lot shooting at the school multiple times,” Escalon said.
Escalon then said at 11:40 a.m., the shooter walks into the west side of Robb Elementary.
“He walks, and I’m going to approximate 20 or 30 feet, he makes a right and walks into the hallway, he makes a right, makes another 20 feet, turns left into a schoolroom, into a classroom that has doors open in the middle,” Escalon said.
Four minutes later, at 11:44 a.m., Escalon said, Uvalde Police and Uvalde ISD officers make entry, are met with gunfire, take cover, and call for backup.
“They are also evacuating students and teachers. There’s a lot going on,” Escalon said.
“Approximately an hour later, U.S. Border Patrol, tactical teams arrive. They make entry and shoot and kill the suspect,” Escalon said.
During that time, according to CNN, video on social media shows angry and scared parents outside of Robb Elementary.
“Our job is to report the facts and have those answers, and we are not there yet,” Escalon said.
Escalon said federal investigators are going through surveillance video, interviewing the law enforcement officers who responded, and recreating the scene to determine how long the shooter was in the classroom.