It was the “wrong decision” not to storm the school where gunman was holed up killing primary school children, a Texas official admitted.
The extraordinary admission came on Friday at a highly-charged press conference in Uvalde, Texas, where parents have been demanding answers about why 19 students and two teachers lost their lives in the deadly rampage on Tuesday.
Some reports said it was up to an hour before a special Border Patrol team killed the gunman. Parents had to be restrained outside, desperately wanting to enter the school themselves to take action.
Questions over officers’ response grow – live updates from Texas shooting
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw admitted to journalists there had been a mistake.
He said the on-scene commander had judged the situation at the Robb Elementary School as “no longer an active shooter situation” and that they were instead dealing with “a barricaded subject”.
However, he added: “Obviously there were children in that classroom that were at risk and it was, in fact, still an active shooter situation”.
‘Not here to defend what happened’
At the press conference, he revealed people outside could hear “children begging for help” inside the school building.
One journalist demanded to know if Mr McCraw – who at times appeared to be choked – had any words for the grieving parents.
He replied: “What do I have to say to the parents? I don’t have anything to say to the parents, other than what has happened.
“We are not here to defend what happened. We are here to report the facts.”
