Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Shields & Coverups

 The Uvalde massacre becomes more horrifying with each new detail.  The police said they retreated after exchanging gunfire with the shooter because they were outgunned and lacked protection, leaving the shooter free to massacre children.  KVUE's Tony Plohetski gives lie to that story on Twitter: 


Multiple officers were inside Robb Elementary School with rifles and at least one ballistic shield at 11:52 a.m. the day of the shooting, new video and other evidence shows. They didn’t enter the classroom for another 58 minutes.

Investigators believe this is significant because it indicates they had more than enough firepower and protection to enter the classroom before they did. Officers were growing impatient far sooner: “If there’s kids in there we need to go in there,” one said on body camera video.

Unfortunately, the horror doesn't end with the photo. The San Antonio Express reported: 

Surveillance footage shows that police never tried to open a door to two classrooms at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in the 77 minutes between the time a gunman entered the rooms and massacred 21 people and officers finally breached the door and killed him, according to a law enforcement source close to the investigation. 

Investigators believe the 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers at the school on May 24 could not have locked the door to the connected classrooms from the inside, according to the source. 

All classroom doors at Robb Elementary are designed to lock automatically when they close and can only be locked or unlocked from the outside with a key, the source said. Police might have assumed the door was locked. Yet the surveillance footage suggests gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, was able to open the door to classroom 111 and enter with assault-style rifle — perhaps because the door malfunctioned, the source said.... 

Regardless, officers had access the entire time to a “halligan” — a crowbar-like tool that could have opened the door to the classrooms even if it was locked, the source said....

Arredondo was not trying those keys in the door to classrooms 111 and 112, where Ramos was holed up, according to the law enforcement source. Rather, he was trying to locate a master key by using the various keys on doors to other classrooms nearby, the source said.... Article

 However, never fear.  The police are doing what bureaucrats always want to do: cover up.  Vice News reported: 

The City of Uvalde and its police department are working with a private law firm to prevent the release of nearly any record related to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in which 19 children and two teachers died, according to a letter obtained by Motherboard in response to a series of public information requests we made. The public records Uvalde is trying to suppress include body camera footage, photos, 911 calls, emails, text messages, criminal records, and more.

The letter makes clear, however, that the city and its police department want to be exempted from releasing a wide variety of records in part because it is being sued, in part because some of the records could include “highly embarrassing information,” in part because some of the information is “not of legitimate concern to the public,” in part because the information could reveal “methods, techniques, and strategies for preventing and predicting crime,” in part because some of the information may cause or may "regard … emotional/mental distress," and in part because its response to the shooting is being investigated by the Texas Rangers, the FBI, and the Uvalde County District Attorney. The letter explains that Uvalde has at least one in-house attorney (whose communications it is trying to prevent from public release), and yet, it is using outside private counsel to deal with a matter of extreme  importance and public interest. Uvalde’s city government and its police department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Motherboard.... Article

Hmmm.... sounds like a certain Mississippi public official who doesn't want to say how many police officers were working at a festival in downtown Jackson. 


24 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is basically a preview of how JPD would handle an active shooter but with less surly 911 staff.

Anonymous said...

Guess this dead horse needs more beating. They fucked up. You, I and basically anyone with common sense knows that. Bitching will not change anything.

Anonymous said...

Tony Plohetski is a Tylertown, MS native and one heck of a good reporter.

Anonymous said...

The community gets the equipment, training and personnel the budgets/tax base can afford. There should be absolutely no defund the police discussions anywhere. Take a look at what is happening in California, New York, Chicago and closer to home, Jackson. It is going to take more than increase the police funding to stop the crime. It’s going to take complete turnover of the elected officials. Sometimes conservative judgment is better than liberals allowing criminals to take over.

Anonymous said...

All these “leaked” videos do is make these events seem even more fishy. Just like the Las Vegas shooter, they waited so long and just let them keep killing. Reminds me of how on 9/11, NORAD ordered the F-16 interceptors to stand-down while en route to shoot down the hijacked airliners.

It’s like these tragedies can’t be stopped when set in motion from above and TPTB are actively stopping all attempts to reverse course.

Here you see what appears to be officers who weren’t “in the know” (probably not members of a secret society) being told to stand down by “in the know” brass above them, who gave those orders because they received a cryptic measage that used language and phrases taught in secret society lodges around the world.

Anonymous said...

Ummm, that looks like a Level III shield. That's not rated to stop rifle bullets, not even close. It would be useless against an AR. One would need a Level 4 shield to provide any protection. The L4 shields that I've seen have wheels because the weight a couple hundred pounds.
I'm not defending what the police did, just pointing out that the reporter is not any better at reporting than they are at policing.

Anonymous said...

Different towns and cities have different rules they follow when they hire police. Some want prior experience, some want training, some want to hire buddies and relatives. It may come as a surprise to many but the hiring of buddies and relatives can cause problems if there is ever a real need of police officers. In other jobs hiring buddies and friends will just cost extra money to pay someone else to do their job. With police it can cause the death of someone.

Anonymous said...

The days of dismissing seemingly outlandish conspiracy theories are over. The world has changed.

Anonymous said...

A whole Cop Shop with Vests, M4’s, Shotguns, and Pistols claimed they were outgunned, WOW. They must’ve been trained by a mall security school. This is why I carry, to protect myself from nut jobs and cops who can’t, won’t, or too scared to do their job.

Anonymous said...

Uvalde - when seconds count the police are hours away.

Anonymous said...

The way the Texas governor lied so casually and confidently directly after the shooting is chilling. Not sure how any Texan could vote for that scum again.

Anonymous said...

Just keep your heads in the sand jambalaya commenters. Write it off to whatever works: conspiracy, defund the police, fake news etc. These mass shootings are all too common today. Mississippi has had them and will have more unfortunately. That’s just how it works when you do absolutely nothing to address the problem. I mean, police and good guys are the solution you gave us, and look how that worked out.

Anonymous said...

It seems the Chief was trying to delay as long as possible to limit the threat to his officer’s. It’s a shame he wasn’t as protective of the children and teachers, but they are not on his side of the thin blue line so he didn’t care. Fire them all and prosecute them for whatever will stick. If they only serve time for the coverup, it’s better than nothing.

Anonymous said...

@11:50am - Level III armor is rated to stop up to .308 Win

I think you’re confused with level IIIA shields, which is probably what it was, and wouldn’t have stopped a round from an AR-15

Anonymous said...

Seeing as how the most obvious solution to these unacceptable murderous rampages is to somehow force parents to actually participate in the lives of, and raise kids that are mentally stable 3:07; how do you propose we JJ commenters ensure that happens?

When did it become 'asking too much' to hold parents accountable for their demon spawn?

Anonymous said...

Really, I don’t see the big deal. Law Enforcement have no duty to respond to a call for help, none at all.

Anonymous said...

Fox News: Uvalde city council to consider leave of absence for school police chief Arredondo as pressure mounts.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/uvalde-city-council-consider-leave-absence-school-police-chief-arredondo-pressure

Anonymous said...

It's true, there's no legal imperative for law enforcement to render assistance.

That absence of legal imperative does not do away with "moral" imperative. The right thing to do was to assist, render aid, to attempt to save the life of those teachers, and children.

The Supreme Court may have removed the legal imperative, but it in no way removes the moral imperative.

In side those law enforcement uniforms were human beings. Their feelings for other human beings, weaker than themselves, should have been the motivator to move them to action.

Some will say we should not judge these men, and I agree. What I also agree with, is that every man there judged themselves as cowards when they refused to render assistance, and with their own assessment I agree.

Anonymous said...

That there are still people who believe we should give up our guns because the police will come save the day is insane.

No one cares more about your life than you do so you best be prepared to protect it, and your family.

Hell, if you're in Hinds County, you probably won't even get an answer when you call 911.

We're on our own. Facts.

Anonymous said...

The Uvalde school police chief needs to be indicted for at least 19 counts of involuntary manslaughter. He is easy to identify, as he has FOUR STARS on each uniform shoulder, like a third-world general.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why it's so difficult to admit that they made a horrible judgement call.
They should just stop lying and admit that they prioritized life outside of those two classrooms. Go in guns blazing, and I'm sure that innocent children would've been hit in the crossfire along with an officer. They're cowards, end of story.

Anonymous said...

@ 3:21
So I assume you would hold up Chicago and New York who have draconian defense laws as examples of what we should do? I will take my chances in a place where I can provide for myself….

Anonymous said...

Outgunned by a single 18 year old🤡. I have no worries when they come for my guns.

Anonymous said...

9:15, it does make it sound like a joke if a single kid can hold off so many police officers without even locking the door. What are they going to do when a grown up decides to take them on?


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