Responding Officers Had Firepower, Shields To Confront Uvalde Gunman

A new report says the first officers who responded to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas last month were equipped with rifles and shields, but did not try to confront the gunman. According to the Texas Tribune, surveillance footage shows the officers had access to ballistic shields along with at least two rifles within minutes of arriving at Robb Elementary, but made no attempt to enter the classroom where the gunman was located. During this time, school police chief Pete Arredondo reportedly called a dispatcher and said he did not have the firepower to approach the shooter. The Tribune went on to say that a tool used to open locked doors was available to the officers in the early part of the shooting, but it wasn't brought into the building until an hour later. The shooting lasted 77 minutes before a Border Patrol team entered the classroom and killed the gunman.