Local funeral homes are so overwhelmed that it will take weeks to bury some of the 19 children and two teachers killed Tuesday at Robb Elementary School.
And days after the massacre, families of the victims learned more about what really happened in Classrooms 111 and 112 during their loved ones’ final moments.
“The devastating injuries that many of these children suffered, there is no doubt that some of these children bled to death while waiting for the police to enter,” said CNN law enforcement analyst Charles Ramsey. , former Philadelphia Police Commissioner.
“There’s no doubt in my mind that probably took place,” Ramsey said Sunday. “There is no way to justify this.”
“In the end, everyone failed here,” he said. “We failed those kids. We even failed them in the Texas Legislature.”
It’s unclear what changes will occur at the state or federal level to help curb school shootings and public killings. The Uvalde Elementary School massacre marked at least the 30th shooting at a K-12 school in the first five months of this year alone.
The suspects in both massacres were 18 years old and had legally purchased their guns.
The disturbing new timeline
“As first responders, we must recognize that innocent life must be defended,” the manual says. “A first responder who does not want to put the lives of innocent people above their own safety should consider another career field.”
These guidelines were apparently not followed at Uvalde.
Uvalde police officers entered the school about two minutes after the shooter, said Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety.
But the incident commander at the scene — the school district’s police chief — felt the situation had gone from an active shooter to a “barricaded subject,” McCraw said.
It’s unclear why District Police Chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo believed this. Arredondo called on officers not to enter the classroom while waiting for the room key and tactical gear, officials said.
During a roughly 70-minute window, officers entered the building and called for more resources, such as equipment and negotiators, McCraw said.
Up to 19 officers stood in the hallway for more than 45 minutes before police entered the classroom.
Eventually, members of a Border Patrol tactical team arrived on the scene, entered the classroom and killed the shooter, more than an hour after the mass shootings began.
Donations of blood, food and funeral services
Since the massacre, graduations and other celebratory events have been canceled as the community mourns the heartbreaking loss of some of its most vulnerable.
Uvalde Funeral Homes have pledged to cover costs for the families of the 21 victims, with some services starting on Monday.
Even strangers have traveled for hours to help those suffering in Uvalde.
Omar Rodriguez, owner of a car detailing business, made 250 burgers to raise money for the families of the victims.
At a friend’s house on Main Street, Rodriguez set up a large grill, tables and cooking supplies while family and friends grabbed car wash rags and soap for a donation.
The 24-year-old said he couldn’t just stay at home knowing there was something he could do to help.
“It’s a good little town,” Rodriguez said. “There is only love here.”
Patrick Johnson, 58, drove seven hours from his hometown of Harleton, Texas to Uvalde and set up a table full of toys for the kids who haven’t smiled in days.
“There are lots of ways to be a blessing to people,” he said. “Whenever something like this happens, I do my research and contact local law enforcement and ask ‘what can I do? What does your community need right now?”
Johnson, a father of four, said he broke down and cried when he heard about the shooting.
“I’m not even from this community, but it hurts. It makes you think of your own kids,” Johnson said. “It makes you realize that it could have been you, mourning your children.”
CNN’s Nicole Chavez, Alaa Elassar, Ed Lavandera, Jasmine Wright and Nicky Robertson contributed to this report.
