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A Uvalde, Texas, police officer armed with a rifle spotted the shooter outside Robb Elementary School before entering the building and asked his supervisor for permission to shoot, but the supervisor either did not hear the request or did not respond in time, allowing the suspect to entered the school, according to a report released Wednesday by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center (ALERRT).
The gunman would kill 19 children and two teachers before a Border Patrol tactical team eventually broke into the classroom and took him out more than 70 minutes later, a delay that was sharply criticized by lawmakers, state law enforcement officials authorities and the community of Uvalde.
It’s unclear why the initial Uvalde police officer didn’t immediately shoot the gunman, who had already started shooting into classrooms as he walked the perimeter of the school.
“In this case, the UPD officer would have heard gunshots and/or reports of shots being fired and observed an individual approaching the school building armed with a rifle. A reasonable officer would conclude in this case, based on all the circumstances, that the use of deadly force was justified,” the ALERRT center, which is based at Texas State University and provides active shooter response training, wrote in the report.
The officer told investigators he was concerned about putting the children in danger if he missed, but ALERRT noted that the Texas Penal Code says “a person has the right to use deadly force when the person reasonably believes that deadly force is immediately necessary to prevent the commission of murder.”
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The officer was about 148 yards from the front door through which the shooter entered, which is within range of an AR-15 platform rifle, although Texas patrol rifle qualifications do not require officers to fire at targets farther than 100 yards , according to ALERRT.
The exterior west entrance door through which the suspect entered Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. (Texas DPS via Twitter)
Two other key mistakes were made that allowed the shooter to enter the building.
Another Uvalde school police officer drove past the shooter in the parking lot at high speed and did not see him before the suspect entered the school at 11:33 a.m.
Third, a teacher closed the front door minutes before the shooter entered, but did not check to see if the door was locked. Also, even if she had checked the door, she didn’t have the right key at the moment to lock it.
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“If any of these three key issues had played out differently, they could have prevented the ensuing tragedy,” ALERRT wrote.
A banner hangs at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School, the site of a mass shooting in May that killed 19 students and two teachers, on Friday, June 3. (AP/Eric Gay)
The Active Shooter Training Center went on to note three key issues once the shooter was inside the school, including that the lock on the classroom door was broken; two teams of officers were stationed at each end of the corridor, creating an opportunity for friendly fire to hit an officer; and police lost “momentum” when the suspect fired at the first officers who approached the classroom door.
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“There is a chance that officers could be shot, injured or even killed while responding.” This is something every officer should be aware of when they become a law enforcement officer,” ALERRT wrote.
Paul Best is a reporter for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to Paul.best@fox.com and on Twitter: @KincaidBest.
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