Police – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

An exterior door at Robb Elementary Faculty did not lock when it was closed by a teacher shortly before a gunman used it to get inside and kill 19 students and two lecturers, leaving investigators looking to find out why, state police stated Tuesday.

State police initially stated a teacher had propped the door open shortly earlier than the shooter entered the varsity in Uvalde, Texas, on Could 24.

They have now determined that the trainer, who has not been identified, propped the door open with a rock, however then eliminated the rock and closed the door when she realized there was a shooter on campus, mentioned Travis Considine, chief communications officer for the Texas Department of Public Security. However, Considine stated, the door did not lock.

“We did confirm she closed the door. The door didn't lock. We all know that a lot and now investigators are looking into why it did not lock,” Considine mentioned.

Investigators confirmed the element by way of additional video footage reviewed since last Friday’s news convention when authorities first mentioned that the door had been left propped open. Authorities didn't state at the moment what had been used to prop open the door.

Considine stated the instructor initially propped the door open but ran back inside to get her telephone and name 911 when the gunman crashed his truck on campus.

“She got here again out while on her cellphone, she heard somebody yell, ‘He has a gun!’, she noticed him soar the fence and that he had a gun, so she ran back inside,” removing the rock when she did, Considine mentioned.

San Antonio legal professional Don Flanary informed the San Antonio Express-Information that the Robb Elementary Faculty worker, whom he’s not naming, closed the door shut after realizing that a gunman was on the loose. She had initially propped it open to carry meals from a automobile to a classroom, the attorney said.

“She kicked the rock away when she went back in. She remembers pulling the door closed while telling 911 that he was taking pictures,” Flanary instructed the newspaper.

Funerals are planned for the subsequent two-and-a-half weeks for the 19 kids and two lecturers who have been killed in that classroom on Might 24.

“She thought the door would lock as a result of that door is always alleged to be locked,” Flanary mentioned.

Flanary didn't immediately return phone messages left at his office from The Related Press.

Investigators are also still attempting to interview Uvalde Consolidated Independent College District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who state police have stated was the commander of the college capturing scene whereas it occurred.

Steven McCraw, the top of the Texas Department of Public Security, has said Arredondo treated the energetic scene as a hostage state of affairs and as if children had been not in danger, while 19 police officers waited in the college hallway outside the classroom where the shooter was.

McCraw referred to as that the “unsuitable decision,” saying the focus of the investigation has shifted to Arredondo and the police response.

Different officers within the Uvalde metropolis and schools police departments continue to take a seat for interviews and provide statements, but Arredondo has not responded to DPS requests for two days, Considine stated.