Mr. Abbott said he stopped by the May 24 event to let people know he couldn’t stay because he wanted to continue his “cooperation with Texas law enforcement” after the massacre at Robb Elementary School. But campaign finance reports and flight tracking records show the Republican politician arrived in Huntsville at 4:52 p.m., before being driven to a local supporter’s home about two miles away. He didn’t leave town until 7:47 p.m., according to the Dallas Morning News. Hours earlier, teenage gunman Salvador Rolando Ramos killed two teachers and 19 children after police waited more than an hour to storm the building. A damning report published earlier this month found that some of the victims “could have been saved” if they had received quicker attention. Ramos, 18, walked through an open door at the school carrying an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle at 11:33 a.m. – but the police did not enter the building until 12.50pm.
More about the Texas School Shooting
The response to the tragedy has been described as a “gross failure” amid outrage over a series of blunders by law enforcement officials. A review by the University of Texas found that an armed police officer had an opportunity to shoot Ramos but missed the opportunity by waiting for permission from a supervisor. At a news conference the day after the shooting, Mr. Abbott said he was in the city of Abilene when he learned of the attack. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:20 Condemning report issued for Uvalde’s shooting Abilene is about 220 miles (354 km) northwest of Austin, while Huntsville is about 150 miles (240 km) east of the Texas state capital. When asked why he didn’t cancel the fundraiser, the Texas governor said: “On the way back to Austin, I stopped and let people know I couldn’t stay, I had to go. “And I wanted them to know what happened and come back to Austin so I could continue working with Texas law enforcement to make sure all the needs were being met here in the Uvalde area.” Mr. Abbott’s campaign spokeswoman, Renae Eze, told the Dallas Morning News that he had been “honest” about his movements on the day of the shooting. Image: Tribute to the victims of the Uvalde school shooting Image: Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the May 24 massacre She spoke with President Joe Biden, along with US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, law enforcement and staff throughout the afternoon and evening of May 24, Ms. Eze said. “The day after the tragedy, the governor traveled to Uvalde and met with local police officials,” he added. “The governor’s description of his movements that day is accurate.” Mr Abbott praised the swift response of the officers who “showed amazing courage in running towards the fire”. But he was forced to reverse his remarks after growing anger over the handling of the massacre. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 1:29 Texas shooting response ‘huge failure’ Read more about the Uvalde school shooting: ‘You can never ask a child or a teacher to turn back’: Rob Elementary School to be demolished Terrifying Survivor’s Testimony: ‘He said ‘goodnight’ to my teacher and shot her in the head’ Mr Abbott later said he was “hurt” after claiming he had been “misled”. The campaign finance report suggests the fundraiser raised up to $50,000. Abbott will run for a third term in November, with Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke hoping to unseat him to win control of the state.
