'He Walked in Unobstructed': New Details About TX Shooting Turn Grief into Anger, Chaplains Mourn with Families
Grief is turning to anger in Uvalde, TX as authorities change crucial details about the attack.
Hours after the deadly mass school shooting left 21 dead, Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference to clarify the information being reported worldwide. A key piece of information that had been given to the press was that a school police officer 'made contact' with the gunman before he entered the school.
"Officers with the consolidated independent school district, they approached the gunman and engaged with the gunman at that time," Abbott said. "The gunman then entered a backdoor and went down two short hallways, entering a classroom on the left-hand side."
Now it has been revealed there were no officers confronting the gunman. That detail was retracted Thursday by Victor Escalon, Regional Director for Texas Department of Public Safety.
"It was reported a school district police officer confronted the suspect making entry… not accurate," Escalon said. "He walked in unobstructed initially."
Police are now using video from social media that apparently shows the gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos walking unobtrusively toward a backdoor.
Another point of contention is the timeline from when the shooter entered the school, and when the police acted. Texas DPS says almost an hour passed before U.S. Border Patrol and tactical teams made their move.
As details surrounding the investigation come to light, a growing number of questions are being raised.
"They didn't make entry initially because of the gunfire they were receiving," said Escalon. "But we had officers calling for additional resources, 'we need body armor, we need precision riflemen, negotiators.'"
Recently, cell phone videos have surfaced showing the chaos outside the school during the gunman's rampage. People urged police to go inside and stop the killer. Bystanders say they saw police standing around.
"I was yelling, like 'Why don't you guys go in?'" said one eyewitness.
Chaplains Ministering to Grieving Families
With so many unbearable emotions resting over the city of Uvalde, chaplains with the Billy Graham Rapid Response Team have been dispatched to grieve with the community. The team includes more than 2,300 volunteer chaplains nationwide, responding to natural disasters and man-made crises. International Director Josh Holland tells CBN News nothing compares to the grief of a school shooting.
"Within several hours of the shooting, we had several chaplains in the area that were on scene, who served alongside local law enforcement, giving death notifications," Holland said. "There's really nothing to say, we don't have any answers. Our greatest ministry is just listening to people, being someone who can listen."
While answers are difficult to find in the tragedy, Hispanic Christian leader Samuel Rodriguez points to the comfort found in the gospel.
"We don't want this to be a moment where it places a lid on evangelism and lives being impacted by the Gospel of Christ," Rodriguez said. "We actually want flip the script and demonstrate that light can overcome the darkness, and it will – "
Benham Brothers: Culture Needs Jesus, Not More ‘Gun Laws’ in Wake of Texas School Shooting
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