Texas State Police Cpt. Joel Betancourt allegedly tried to stop law enforcement from entering classrooms to stop the Robb Elementary massacre, CNN reported Thursday.
Nineteen students and two teachers were murdered at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, when a lone gunman, Salvador Ramos, entered and opened fire on the campus May 24. Audio recordings obtained and published Thursday night by CNN reveal that Betancourt ordered a strike team to wait more than 70 minutes into the attack before doing anything.
REPORT: Accounts Tied To Texas Shooter Shared Chilling Messages, Photos Of Guns Before Massacre https://t.co/L1loZ0xqOM
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 25, 2022
Memos written within 48 hours of the attack suggest Betancourt, a 15-year veteran of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), as well as his team’s involvement, was both hesitant and chaotic.
“I heard someone shout out, Capt. Betancourt said all DPS personnel need to be on perimeter, do no (sic) enter building,” a DPS lieutenant stated, after describing how he’d driven to the scene from 40 miles or so away at speeds reaching 130 mph, CNN reported.
“As this was clearly against established training, we both decided to enter the building where the shooter was located,” another DPS sergeant added to his memo. (RELATED: ‘Hard To Think’: Trump Responds To Texas Mass Shooting)
Betancourt is one of seven DPS officers referred for further investigation in the aftermath of the horrific attack. He remains on active duty with DPS at this time.