Report: Officers were in Uvalde school with rifles, shield 19 minutes after gunman

Police officers with rifles and at least one ballistic shield were in a hallway at Robb Elementary School around 19 minutes after a gunman entered classrooms there, according to reports from Texas news organizations Monday.

The Austin American-Statesman said the timeline was based on documents it reviewed following the May 24 attack in Uvalde that killed 19 children and two teachers.

The Texas Tribune on Monday night also reported the new details, citing records and surveillance video it had reviewed.

NBC News has not seen or reviewed the documents.

But the reports could raise further questions about the long delay before officers breached the classroom doors and killed the 18-year-old gunman.

It was around 80 minutes from when the gunman entered the school around 11:33 a.m. and when police entered the classroom around 12:50 p.m. and killed him, according to official accounts.

According to the Statesman, a reconstructed timeline shows officers were inside the school three minutes after the gunman entered.

• Add to Google

How Uvalde, Texas, is reacting to proposed gun legislation

05:03

Pete Arredondo, police chief for the school district, at 11:40 a.m. called Uvalde police for help and said, “We have him in the room. He’s got an AR-15. He’s shot a lot,” according to the Statesman.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

Arredondo said also said “They need to be outside the building prepared because we don’t have firepower right now” and “it’s all pistols,” according to the newspaper.

A lawyer for Arredondo did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reports Monday night.

Law enforcement officers were seen on security camera with rifles and a ballistic shield in a hallway at 11:52 a.m., according to the report.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

“If there’s kids in there, we need to go in there,” one officer is reported to have said.

Another responded, “Whoever is in charge will determine that," it said.

The Texas Tribune reported that in the records and materials it reviewed, no security footage from inside the school showed police officers attempting to open the doors to classrooms 111 and 112.

Authorities have said that officers eventually entered the classroom using keys provided by a janitor.

• Add to Google

Uvalde school police chief speaks out in first interview since mass shooting

02:00

The Tribune reported that based on what it reviewed, one officer said minutes into the response that a Halligan bar, which is a firefighting tool, was on site but it wasn’t brought into the school for an hour, and that authorities waited for keys instead.

The police account of the massacre changed in the days after the rampage, sparking anger. Gov. Greg Abbott said he had been “misled.”

The U.S. Justice Department on May 29 announced that it will review the law enforcement response. Experts have said that will most likely focus on the delay in confronting the gunman.

The new information is expected to be presented Tuesday to a Texas Senate hearing, according to the Statesman.