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Nearly 48 hours after one of the heaviest school shootings in American history, reporters sought an answer Thursday from police to a key question: What happened when an 18-year-old with a gun showed up at Rob’s Elementary School on Tuesday?
Many said they left the press conference more confused than before.
Texas Public Safety Officer Victor Escalon Jr. does not appear to have basic information about the initial police response and why officers waited at least an hour before entering the classroom where the shooter hid during the attack, which killed 19 students. and two teachers were killed.
“Did a tactical team have to come in before the hour was up?” A reporter asked Escalon.
“There are many possibilities,” he replied. “After we interview all these employees, what they thought, what they did, why they did it, the video, the rest of the interviews, we will have a better idea. Could someone have arrived earlier? You have to understand, small town.
Another reporter asked if it was true that the parents were standing in front of the school and calling on the police to come in, as was common – they even wanted to borrow police bulletproof vests so they could do it themselves.
As the schedule emerged, police criticized the school’s massacre response
Escalon hesitated before answering, “I heard this information, but we haven’t confirmed it yet.”
Escalon also returned or denied information released by police hours earlier: no officer had actually encountered the gunman before he entered the school, he said. He wasn’t sure if the shooter had entered the school through an improperly unlocked door. And he didn’t know how long it took the police to answer the initial call to 911, basic information at a typical police press conference.
When Escalon walked away after answering 10 questions for 20 minutes, several reporters asked him to answer the question “en español, por favor”. He did not appear to respond, despite the large Spanish-speaking population of South Texas.
The big news – especially a chaotic incident such as a mass shooting – is often the subject of conflicting reports and misinformation. However, journalists on stage on Thursday openly expressed their disappointment at the lack of answers provided two days after the tragedy.
“There are gaps and confusion about the discrepancies in the information we have received so far,” Texas Tribune reporter Reese Oxner wrote on Twitter.
“This raises more questions than it answers,” Janet Shamlian told CBS News on Thursday. “Parents will be very disappointed.”
The event was another concern for Texas officials who were struggling to answer questions about Tuesday’s attack amid a national outburst of grief and anger. Wednesday’s press conference with Gov. Greg Abbott (right) turned out to be shouts and curses after Democratic Gov. candidate Beto O’Rourke cut her off against him. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) Walked away from a vigil interview the same day after a reporter asked him why massacres are so common in the United States.
Escalon’s account left huge gaps in the chronology of events, especially what happened an hour after the police first responded to reports of a car crash “and a man with a gun” and what happened during an attack by border agents patrol leading to the death of the suspect.
Some observers were puzzled by the sudden way Escalon provided the most important new information on Thursday – the fact that no officer confronted the armed man before he entered the school, contrary to law enforcement officials saying earlier.
“Officials knew this was the key question of the day, and they needed to be better prepared to answer it,” said Dave Starter, a former television reporter who now advises public safety agencies on communications. Police could easily share this news via social media or a pre-conference news release.
Escalon “seemed to be hiding it and was definitely not ready for prime time,” said Mark Feldstein, a veteran television journalist who is now a professor of journalism at the University of Maryland. “He asked more questions than he answered and was long on emotion but little solid information.”
The “confused and confused” performance, as Feldstein described it, highlighted growing concerns and questions about the still-blurred timeline. “That’s not what the city needs after so many injuries.”
“Running and running, avoiding and covering up, neither answers questions nor inspires confidence,” said Frank Cesno, a former CNN presenter and former director of the School of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University.
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