Mom of Texas school massacre victim is told her daughter could have lived after being shot through the back but she bled out in the 40 minutes it took for cops to storm classroom – as DOJ launches probe into police response
The mother of a Texas school shooting victim was told by first responders that her daughter may have survived the massacre if authorities had acted quicker.
The fourth-grader, who was among the 19 students killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde on Tuesday, bled to death after being shot in her kidney.
‘Her child had been shot by one bullet through the back through the kidney area,’ Staat Sen. Ronald Gutierrez told CNN Sondag oggend. ‘The first responder that they eventually talked to said that their child likely bled out. In that span of 30 of 40 minutes extra, that little girl might have lived.’
Die Demokraat argued that ‘many things went wrong’ when local police responded to the massacre and said he was ‘disgusted’ by law enforcement’s failure to take action.
Police admitted Thursday that officers didn’t immediately rush into the school to find gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, during Tuesday’s attack because they feared they might be killed, and even suggested that they deliberately locked Ramos in the classroom where he slaughtered 21 people in order to trap him.
Ramos, 'Jy word wakker en jy staar na die muur en jy dink niks het verander nie, maar ek is steeds in dieselfde posisie 19 studente en twee onderwysers, likely shot the children in the first four minutes of his rampage, around 11.40am, yet none of them were removed from the building until at least 12.50pm, more than an hour later.
A person can bleed to death in less than five minutes, volgens die V.S.. Department of Homeland Security, why politicians and doctors alike are criticizing the lack of response from Texas police.
It remains unclear exactly how many children were in the classroom when the Ramos opened fire, how many were killed immediately and how many were still alive but injured when police assisted. At least two students were taken to a local hospital but had died by the time they arrived.
Die VSA. Justice Department announced Sunday it will conduct a Critical Incident Review of the law enforcement response to the school shooting.
‘Her child had been shot by one bullet through the back through the kidney area,’ Sy. Ronald Gutierrez (reg) aan CNN gesê. ‘The first responder that they eventually talked to said that their child likely bled out. In that span of 30 of 40 minutes extra, that little girl might have lived’
This graphic shows the minute-by-minute response break down of Tuesday’s massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
‘Absoluut, these mistakes may have led to the passing away of these children,’ Gutierrez argued Sunday, adding how he had ‘significant concerns’ about ‘operational control’ during law enforcement’s response to the shooting.
The senator said the state’s active shooter protocols were ‘breached’ and that authorities failed to act appropriately.
‘The protocols were breached. The active shooter protocols dictate that you go in,’ hy het gesê, noting that within minutes of Ramos opening fire, officers were on scene. ‘First there were seven officers, by 12.03pm there were 19 beamptes. So many things went wrong here.’
In addition to school and local police, scores of Border Patrol agents also rushed to the scene after hearing the incident unfold on scanners. When they arrived, Uvalde police also told them not to go inside, according to a law enforcement official who spoke anonymously to The New York Times.
Mense se konvooi herlei na Arizona sien tot 'n voet van, witnesses, including a little girl who ultimately died, made at least seven calls to 911 asking for help. Egter, police did not breach the classroom and kill Ramos until 12.50pm.
‘The whole thing is a shame. I am disgusted by all of it,’ Guiterrez said, adding that border patrol agents eventually entered the classroom out of ‘frustration.’
The lawmaker said his concerns about the situation extended beyond decisions made by the school district chief, who allegedly was the on-site commander that decided not to breach the classroom.
He believes that multiple agencies are ultimately responsible for failing the students, parents and entire community.
‘It is not fair to put it on the local ISD cop,’ Gutierrez gesê. 'Aan die einde van die dag, everybody failed here. We failed these children. We even failed them in the Texas legislature.’
A photo shows kids running out of Robb Elementary School on Tuesday after the gunman opened fire. It’s unclear what time the image was taken
Video wys hoe Texas cops 'n ouer Dinsdag buite Laerskool Robb vashou terwyl 'n skietery binne ontvou. It took police an hour to get inside the building and bring down the shooter
Surgeons at area hospitals echoed Gutierrez’s concerns, also suggesting that the delay in responding to the shooting may have cost some kids their lives.
‘You can’t wait until patients go to a trauma center,’ Dr. Ronald Stewart, the senior trauma surgeon at the University Hospital in Antonio, told NBC News Thursday. ‘You have to act quickly.’
He added that uncontrolled bleeding was the top cause of deaths among gun shot wound victims and that it can happen in as little as five minutes.
Since the Columbine shooting in 1999, officers across the nation have been advised not to wait for backup and to proceed into the school to find the shooter.
Instructions from the Texas Police Chiefs Association says: ‘The first two to five responding officers should form a single team and enter the structure.’
Why that advice was ignored in Uvalde is among the many aspects of the slow response that are now under investigation.
Another is why police falsely claimed at first that the shooter exchanged gunfire with a school resource officer before he even made it to the classroom.
The Justice Department has launched a probe into the handling of the shooting.
‘The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events,’ department spokesperson Anthony Coley said.
Uvalde residents are pictured outside the local civic center on Tuesday after a gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School, doodmaak 21 mense
Texas Department of Safety Lt. Chris Olivarez earlier this week appeared to defend law enforcement’s response to the shooting during an interview on CNN.
He was being challenged by Wolf Blitzer Thursday over why the first officers who responded to the shooting retreated after Salvador Ramos shot at them with his AR-15 and then waited an hour for tactical SWAT teams to take him out, leaving him alone in a classroom with the 19 fourth graders and two teachers who he slaughtered.
‘Don’t current best practices, Lieutenant, call for officers to disable a shooter as quickly as possible, regardless of how many officers are actually on site?’ Blitzer asked.
wat sê jy gebeur daar binne: 'In die aktiewe skutsituasie, jy wil die moord stop, jy wil lewe bewaar. But also one thing that, natuurlik, die Amerikaanse mense moet verstaan is dat beamptes hierdie gebou binnegaan. Hulle weet nie waar die gewapende man is nie. Hulle hoor geweerskote. Hulle ontvang geweerskote.’
He then appeared to try to take credit for the gunman being locked in the classroom with the kids for an hour – including some he shot at the start of the rampage who later died in the hospital – claiming it saved other lives.
Police initially said that the gunman barricaded himself inside the classroom and that they had trouble gaining access to the room, and one unnamed law official anonymously spoke out to say SWAT teams had to wait for a different school staff member to bring them a key to the class.
'Op daai punt, as hulle verder aangegaan het sonder om te weet waar die verdagte was, hulle kon geskiet gewees het, hulle kon doodgemaak gewees het, and at that point that gunman would have had an opportunity to kill other people inside that school.
‘So they were able to contain that gunman inside that classroom so that he was not able to go to any other portions of the school to commit any other killings,’ Lt. Olivarez said.
AFBEELD: Die 19 children and two teachers butchered in Texas elementary school shooting
Amerie Jo Garza, 10
Amerie Jo Garza (reg)
Amerie Jo Garza, 'n graad vier by Laerskool Robb, was een van 19 studente het bevestig dat hulle Dinsdagoggend deur Ramos vermoor is, wie volgens die polisie 'n handwapen en 'n AR-15 gedra het tydens die aanval wat ook twee onderwysers in die klaskamer doodgemaak het.
Haar ouma, Irene Arreola, het gesê die 10-jarige is dood toe sy probeer bel het 911 terwyl sy langs haar beste vriendin sit, wat in haar bloed beland het.’
Arreola said Ramos told the students and staffers inside the room, ‘You’re going to die,’ before opening fire – shooting her granddaughter dead as she tried to phone for help.
‘So the gunman went in and he told the children, ‘You’re going to die,’ Berlinda told The Daily Beast.
‘En [Amerika] had her phone and she called 911. And instead of grabbing it and breaking it or taking it from her, he shot her. She was sitting right next to her best friend. Her best friend was covered in her blood.’
Uziyah Garcia
Uziyah Garcia, 8
Uziyah Garcia, die jongste slagoffer op die ouderdom van agt, is ook in die aanval dood.
Die kind se familie het aangekondig dat hy vermoor is ure nadat hulle aangekondig het dat hy een van die talle kinders is wat nie verantwoord is na die tragedie nie..
Die seuntjie se oupa, Manny Renfro, het die nuus vroeg Woensdag gebreek nadat dit deur die owerhede in kennis gestel is.
‘[Hy was] die lieflikste seuntjie wat ek nog ooit geken het,’ Renfro gesê. 'Ek sê dit nie net omdat hy my kleinkind was nie.’
Renfro recalled how Uziyah last visited him in San Angelo over spring break.
‘We started throwing the football together and I was teaching him pass patterns.
‘Such a fast little boy and he could catch a ball so good,’ the grieving grandad said.
‘There were certain plays that I would call that he would remember and he would do it exactly like we practiced.’
Makenna Elrod, 10
Makenna Lee Elrod
Makenna Elrod, 10, was ook onder die vermistes in die chaos wat op die slagting gevolg het, saam met haar pa, Brandon Elrod het destyds aan verslaggewers gesê hy het gevrees dat 'sy dalk nie lewe nie.’
Haar dood is uiteindelik Woensdag deur 'n familievriend bevestig. 'Dit is nogal hartseer waarheen hierdie wêreld kom,’ die meisie se pa het ná die skietery aan die plaaslike afsetpunt KTRK gesê.
'n Ma van een van Makenna se vriende het die verlies in 'n plasing op Facebook betreur.
'Sweet Makenna Rus in die Paradys!! My hart is verpletter, want my dogter Chloe was so lief vir haar!!’ het die ma geskryf. ’n Familielid het Woensdag bevestig dat die meisie onder die slagoffers was.
Xavier Lopez, 10
Xavier Lopez
Xavier Lopez, 10, was die eerste studenteslagoffer wat as een van Ramos geïdentifiseer is’ slagoffers.
Die kind se ma, kat martinez, het dit Dinsdag aan die Washington Post gesê net ure voor die slagting, die ma was by die skool om haar seun te sien deelneem 'n ererol-seremonie.
Sy het 'n foto geneem wat wys hoe haar seun met sy sertifikaat spog.
In die laaste woordewisseling wat sy met die kind gehad het, die ma het hartverskeurend vir die seuntjie gesê sy is trots op hom en dat sy lief is vir hom, gee hom 'n drukkie totsiens – nie geweet dit sou die laaste keer wees dat sy hom lewend sou sien nie.
'Hy was snaaks, nooit ernstig nie en sy glimlag ... daardie glimlag sal ek nooit vergeet nie,’ het sy onthou nadat sy van sy dood by die polisie verneem het. 'Dit sal altyd enigiemand opbeur.’
The boy’s cousin, Lisa Garza, 54, of Arlington, said Xavier enjoyed swimming and had been looking forward to the summer.
‘He was just a loving 10-year-old little boy, just enjoying life, not knowing that this tragedy was going to happen today,’ sy het gese.
‘He was very bubbly, loved to dance with his brothers, sy ma. This has just taken a toll on all of us.’
Amelia Sandoval, Lopez’s grandmother, gesê: ‘It’s just so hard… you send your kids to school thinking they are going to make it back home but they’re not.’
Elia Torres, 10
Elijah Cruz Torres
Elijah Cruz Torres, 10, was ook ure lank vermis totdat bevestig is dat sy onder die dooies is.
Adolfo Cruz, haar oupagrootjie, het gesê sy wou nie die dag van die skietery skool bywoon nie – maar is deur haar familie meegedeel dat sy dit moes bywoon.
He said he remained outside the school gates throughout the night until he leanrned of her fate from local authorities.
‘I hope she is alive,’ het hy destyds gesê.
Torres was an avid baseball player and played the sport in a local little league.
Ellie Lugo, 10
Ellie Lugo
Ellie Lugo was named as a victim of Tuesday’s attack by her parents, with Steven Garcia and Jennifer Lugo confirming her death several hours after she was listed among the missing.
‘It’s hard to issue out a statement on anything right now my mind is going at 1000 miles per hour… but I do wanna send our thoughts and prayers to those who also didn’t make it home tonight!!! Our Ellie was a doll and was the happiest ever,’ Steven Lugo said Wednesday.
‘Mom and Dad love you never forget that and please try and stay by our side.’
Nevaeh Bravo, 10
Nevaeh Bravo
Nevaeh Bravo was confirmed to be among the dead late Tuesday, after her cousin posted on social media following the shooting to ask for helping the girl.
Rondom 9 pm, she broke the news on Twitter.
‘Unfortunately my beautiful Nevaeh was one of the many victims from todays tragedy,’ sy het geskryf.
Sje said the schoolchild was ‘flying high’ and asked for the family to be kept in people’s prayers
‘Our Nevaeh has been found. She is flying with the angels above. We love you Navaeh very much princess.’
‘Thank you for the support and help,’ sy het geskryf. ‘Rest in peace my sweet girl, you didn’t deserve this.’
Bravo’s age could not immediately be confirmed.
Tess Marie Mata
Tess Marie Mata
Tess Marie Mata was also among those to perish in the attack, haar sister, Faith Mata, revealed in a post to Facebook Wednesday.
‘I honestly have no words just sadness, verwarring, and anger,’ sy het geskryf.
‘I’m sad because we will never get to tag team on mom and dad again and tell each other how much we mean to each other, I’m confused because how can something like this happen to my sweet, omgee, and beautiful sister, and I’m angry because a coward took you from us.’
Photos shared with the post showed Tess smiling in a baby photo, snuggling with a cat, doing gymnastics, flikker 'n vredesteken, and posing in front of a large heart mural.
‘Sissy I miss you so much, I just want to hold you and tell you how pretty you are, I want to take you outside and practice softball, I want to go on one last family vacation, I want to hear your contagious laugh, and I want you to hear me tell you how much I love you,’ sy het geskryf.
Her age could not immediately be confirmed.
Rojelio Torres, 10
Rojelio Torres
Rojelio Torres, 10, was initially reported missing by his father, but on Wednesday was confirmed dead by his family.
A person who said she was the boy’s cousin wrote on Twitter: ‘It breaks my heart to say my rojelio is now with the angels I’ll forever miss you and love you my angel.’
The child’s father , Federico Torres, told Houston reporters that he was at work when he learned about the shooting and immediately raced to the school.
‘They sent us to the hospital, to the civic center, to the hospital and here again, niks, not even in San Antonio,’ hy het gesê. ‘They don’t tell us anything, only a photo, wait, hope that everything is well.’
Nearly half a day later, cops broke the news to the boy’s family.
‘Our entire family waited almost 12 hours since the shooting to find out Rojelio Torres, my 10-year-old nephew, was killed in this tragedy,’ volgelinge as 'n persoonlike afrigter hoewel sy ook modelwerk gedoen het en daar dikwels na haar verwys is as 'n beïnvloeder in haar vaderland’ [object Window], Precious Perez, told KSAT. ‘We are devastated and heartbroken. Rojer was a very intelligent, hard-working and helpful person. He will be missed and never forgotten.’
Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10
Jayce Luevanos
Jayce Luevanos, 10, died in the shooting along with his ten-year-old cousin, Jailah, the child’s mother said Wednesday.
[object Window], uncle Unberto Gonzalez shared photos of both kids while offering a touching tribute.
‘My babies going to miss them like crazy!!!,’ Gonzalez wrote. ‘We luv y’all so much!!! I’m just lost right now!!! Fly high my beautiful Angels!!’
Jailah Nicole Silguero, 10
Jailah Nicole Silguero
Ten-year-old Jailah Nicole Silguero was also killed in the shooting, haar ma, Veronica Luevanos, tearfully revealed to Univision Wednesday.
She also lost her 10-year-old nephew Jayce to the tragedy.
She said Jailah loved to dance and film videos on TikTok.
The child reportedly also asked her mom the morning of the shooting if she could stay home from school – a request the now mourning mom rebuffed.
‘I took her to school, but she didn’t want to go. She told her father, ‘Can I stay home?” Luevanos said, noting that it was not a common occurrence for her daughter to make such a request. ‘I think she knew something would happen.’
Luevanos’ mom confirmed the loss on Facebook Wednesday.
‘Fly high my angels. We’re going to miss yall so much,’ wrote Veronica Luevanos – whose dad had died just a week earlier.
‘I’m so heart broken,’ she wrote with a photo of her daughter and nephew.
‘My baby I love u so much … fly high baby girl.’
Alithia Ramirez, 10
Alithia Ramirez
Fourth grader Alithia Ramirez was confirmed dead early Wednesday by her father, Ryan Ramirez, who shared a post to Facebook showing the 10-year-old with angel’s wings. He had used the same photo the previous day as he pleaded for help finding her after the massacre
He had heartbreakingly used the same photo the previous day as he desperately pleaded for help finding her after the massacre.
‘Trying to find my daughter Alithia. I called all the hospitals and nothing,’ he wrote at the time.
He also reporters during his frantic search, ‘I’m trying to find out where my baby’s at.’
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez
Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10, was another killed by Ramos Tuesday – along with her cousin, who has yet to be identified.
Annabell’s father spent the afternoon after the shooting in frantic search for his daughter.
Speaking to KHOU11 Tuesday, he lamented at how he was at a loss as to what do, having little success with the search.
‘They’re not letting us in at the hospital right now so we don’t know where to go.’
She has since been declared to be among the dead.
Miranda Mathis, 11
Miranda Mathis
Miranda Mathis, 11, is ook bevestig as nog 'n slagoffer van die massaskietery vroeg Woensdag, in 'n Facebook-plasing deur 'n ouer neef wat vroeër daardie dag 'n desperate pleidooi vir hulp geplaas het om die kind op te spoor.
‘My sweet baby cousin we loved u dearly,’ Deanna Miller wrote alongside a photo of the child with angel wings.
‘I’m so sorry this happen to u baby please keep my family in your prayers,’ she grieved.
Miller’s kids had also been at the school at the time of the shooting, but survived the attack.
One of her sons told her that they were ushered out of a window by staffers during the attack and subsequently ran to a nearby funeral home after ‘he heard the shooter say he was gonna kill all the kids.’
Alexandria ‘Lexi’ Aniyah Rubio, 10
Alexandria Aniyah Rubio
Alexandria Aniyah Rubio – wat by vriende beter bekend was as 'Lexi’ – is Dinsdag net voor middernag dood bevestig.
The ten-year-old was shot dead just hours after posing for a photo with her parents at the school’s honor roll ceremony.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, the girl’s mother, wrote of the loss: 'My pragtige, slim, Alexandria Aniyah Rubio was recognized today for All-A honor roll. She also received the good citizen award. We told her we loved her and would pick her up after school. We had no idea this was goodbye.’
Lief vir Yuleana
Lief vir Yuleana
Maite Yuleana was another student to die in the attack that had attended the honor roll ceremony just hours before.
A cousin of the girl’s mother, Ana Rodriguez, announced the loss Wednesday.
‘It is with a heavy heart I come on here on behalf of my cousin Ana who lost her sweet baby girl in yesterday’s senseless shooting.
‘We are deeply saddened by the lose [sic] of this sweet smart little girl…. God bless and may she R.I.P Maite Rodriguez we love you.’
Another relative shared a photo of Maite with her honor roll certificate.
Her age could not immediately be confirmed.
Jose Flores Jr, 10
José Flores
José Flores, 10, was also killed in the shooting after attending the honor roll ceremony, where he was pictured triumphantly clutching a certificate celebrating the accomplishment.
Uncle Christopher Salazar confirmed to the Washington Post Wednesday that his 10-year-old nephew was among the dead, after sharing a tribute to the child on Facebook.
‘I love you and I miss you,’ Salazar wrote in the post.
The boy’s father described Jose to CNN as an amazing boy and big brother to his two younger siblings.
‘He was always fill of energy,’ Jose Flores Sr. gesê. ‘Ready to play till the night.’
He said the boy loved playing baseball and video games.
Jackie Cazares
Jackie Cazares, 10
Jackie Cazares, 10, was another to be killed during the vicious attack at the elementary school.
Her father Jacinto confirmed she lost her life inside her fourth-grade classroom.
‘My baby girl has been taken away from my family and I,’ the grieving father said in an online post.
‘We’re devastated in ways I hope no one ever goes through. … It hurts us to our souls.’
Cazares said his daughter, who was with her cousin, Annabell Rodriguez, when she died, was ‘full of life and love’.
Layla Salazar, 10
The 10-year-old student was the last of the slaying victims to be identified.
Vincent Salazar told the Philadelphia Inquirer his young daughter was among those killed.
He said she was ‘a lot of fun’ and recalled how they sang along to ‘Sweet Child O’ Myne’ by Guns ‘n’ Roses whenever he drove her to school.
Layla Salazar
Irma Garcia, 46 – fourth grade teacher
Irma Garcia
Irma Garcia, who co-taught with Mireles for the last five year, had been at Robb Elementary for 23 jare.
Married to Joe for 24 jare, she was a mother of four – Cristian, completing Marine boot camp; Jose, attending Texas State university University; Lyliana, a sophomore in high school; and Alysandra, a 7th grader.
‘My tia did not make it, she sacrificed herself protecting the kids in her classroom, i beg of you to keep my family including all of her family in y’all’s prayers , IRMA GARCIA IS HER NAME and she died a HERO,’ tweeted her nephew John.
‘She was loved by many and will truly be missed.’
She was nominated as teacher of the year for the 2018-19 toekennings, organized by Trinity University.
Eva Mireles, 44 – fourth grade teacher
Eva Mireles
Eva Mireles, a fourth grade teacher, was identified by her family as being one of the staff members shot dead. She had worked in education for 17 jare.
Her husband Ruben Ruiz, a veteran detective and SWAT team member currently serving as a police officer with the school district, held regular active shooter drills for the schools – most recently at the end of March.
