Salinas said when he and deputy principal Ricardo Rios arrived at Robb’s elementary school. on On May 24, he had a portable radio that broadcast traffic from the Department of Texas. of Safety. He could not hear the radio communications from either the Uvalde Police Department or the Uvalde School Police Department.
He said he helped evacuate children from some classes and then helped clear other rooms.
When asked by CNN if there was anyone in accusation of scene, Salinas said, “I’ve never heard anyone say they in accusation.”
Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, chief of the Uvalde school police, who was named by other officials as the commander of the incident. on scene, recently gave his first extensive public Comments in Interview with Texas Tribune.
Contacting the outlet by phone, written responses and in In statements provided by his attorney, George E. Hyde, Arredondo said he did not consider himself the leader of the incident and did not instruct officers to refrain from entering the scene.
“I don’t issue any orders,” Arredondo told the Tribune, which reported that senior instructed officers start violation outside windows of other classes and begin student evacuation. “I called for help and asked for extraction tool to open the door” of one of classrooms where the shooting took place, he said.
The police response to the shooting, which left 19 students and two dead teachers came under fire in in aftermath of tragedy that second-deadliest shooting in a K-12 school in United States.
Salinas and Rios arrived around noon, about 30 minutes after first 911 call reported that the man shot outside school. They are found chaotic scene on southeast side of in building although authorities have established a perimeter around the school.
The sheriff said that the man he thinks off-duty the border guard asked him help save children out of four or five grades, so he, Rios, and another law enforcement officer in.
After they got the students out, Salinas said he moved closer to building where is the shooter in room. windows of in building were broken and the curtains hung out added. Later, the sheriff recognized Joe Vasquez, one of his deputies who was off-duty in in building and was part of improvised team who killed the shooter.
The sheriff said he didn’t hear the shots.
“All I heard was, ‘He down. He down,’ ” he said.
Salinas entered the school, where the hallway was “foggy and misty”. A lot of of people we on in floor receiving first help, he said.
The US Drug Enforcement Administration agent told him they needed help so he followed the agent and helped check the numbers to make sure There were no other threats, and assistance was provided to the victims.
Salinas said he especially remembers small child who performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation during on stretcher. he is not know whether the child survived.
next hearing session planned for Monday in Uvalde and members of The Uvalde Police Department is expected to testify.
When committee chairman Dustin Burroughs was asked media will Arredondo also participate in on Monday, he told the press, “Not yet.”
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