Texas authorities say the gunman who massacred 21 people at an elementary school was in the building for over an hour before he was killed by law enforcement officers.
The amount of time that elapsed has stirred anger and questions among family members, who demanded to know why authorities did not storm the place and put a stop to the rampage more quickly. Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Travis Considine said 18-year-old Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School and began his rampage at 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday.
A Border Patrol tactical unit began trying to get inside the building an hour later, and at 12:58 p.m., radio chatter noted he was dead.
What happened in those 90 minutes has fueled mounting public anger and scrutiny over police officers' response to Tuesday’s rampage. On Thursday, authorities largely ignored questions about why officers had not been able to stop the shooter sooner.
Victor Escalon, the regional director for the Texas Department of Public Safety, told reporters he had “taken all those questions into consideration” and would offer updates later.