Leaked surveillance footage shows the moment an off-duty sheriff’s deputy had to be held back by his colleagues as the Robb Elementary School shooting unfolded.
Yesterday, the Austin American-Statesman and its TV partner KVUE released surveillance footage showing officers responding to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24.
The attack saw a gunman enter the school and open fire on two adjoining classrooms.
Two teachers and nineteen children were killed in the attack. Among them was 10-year-old fourth-grader Alexandra "Lexi" Rubio - the daughter of Uvalde County Sheriff Deputy Felix Rubio.
As reported by the New York Post and Insider, the security footage shows the moment dad Felix stood helpless in the school hallway, as his colleagues held tightly onto his shirt.
Following the shooting, he told reporters: "I get to the building where — I see where everybody’s posted: in front of my baby girl’s two doors."
Per ABC 11, Mr. Rubio would also tell Texas House lawmakers that despite being off duty at the time, he immediately rushed to the school when he heard about the shooting.
"Once I [saw] them open the door and open fire, my heart dropped," he told lawmakers.
The Independent reports how more than 100 rounds were fired inside the classroom, with the footage showing officers retreating down the hall at one point.
Following the tragedy, Felix and Lexi's mom Kimberly spoke at a House Committee on Oversight and Reform about the last time they saw their daughter alive.
That morning, the school held award ceremonies for students - with Lexi receiving a "Good Citizen Award", TODAY reports. She also received recognition for being a straight-A student.
"At the conclusion of the ceremony, we took photos with her before asking her to pose for a picture with her teacher, Mr. Reyes. That photo, her last photo ever, was taken at approximately 10:54AM," Kimberly said.
Watch the parents speak out below:To celebrate their daughter's hard work, they promised to get her ice cream later that evening.
"We told her we loved her and we would pick her up after school. I can still see her walking with us towards the exit," the doting mom said. "In the reel that keeps scrolling across my memories, she turns her head and smiles back at us to acknowledge my promise, and then we left.
"I left my daughter at that school, and that decision will haunt me for the rest of my life."
Per the New York Times, Felix Rubio briefly spoke about the moment he was in the hallway with his colleagues, saying: "It sucks whenever you’re in the same field with your baby and you can’t go in there... and go get her."
The parents are now fighting for gun reform, with Felix voicing his opinion that officials should outlaw the purchase of AR-15 rifles - an opinion he admits that some people in the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office may not support.
Officers responding to the scene have faced heavy scrutiny for waiting 77 minutes to engage the gunman.
However, parents have also criticized the leaking of the footage, with Felicia Martinez - the mother of Xavier James Lopez - saying on Tuesday: We want justice for our kids [...] We're the parents who lost our children. We were supposed to do this together first - not for the world.
"We're suffering - and I know the world is suffering too - but these were our babies, our babies who were taken from us. So to the person who leaked it: Screw you."
Watch the parents of the Uvalde victims speak out below:The chairman of the state House Investigative Committee, state Rep. Dustin Burrows also took to Twitter to voice his disappointment, writing: "While I am glad that a small portion is now available for the public, I do believe watching the entire segment of law enforcement's response, or lack thereof, is also important."
Burrows added: "I am also disappointed the victim's families and the Uvalde community's requests to watch the video first, and not have certain images and audio of the violence, were not achieved."
Our thoughts continue to go out to everybody affected by this tragedy.
