UVALDE, Texas – Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said Tuesday that teachers at Robb Elementary should be commended for helping evacuate hundreds of students despite a gunman going on the deadly rampage two weeks ago at the school.
McLaughlin said 500 people were evacuated from classrooms by some very brave teachers.
“Let me tell you, every Uvalde teacher who was in those classrooms, would not leave their classrooms till their students were out, including the teacher who was shot. He wouldn’t leave his classroom till his students were out,” he said in an interview with a reporter following an emergency City Council meeting Tuesday.
McLaughlin also said that it’s his understanding that the school will be torn down.
“I heard it’s (decision) been made. I haven’t been consulted because I’m not on the school board. My understanding is that school will be demolished. I believe it should be. You should never ask a child to go back in any of those classrooms, ever,” he said.
The mayor said that he hasn’t heard any 911 calls from that fateful day and that he feels like he’s in the dark regarding the investigation, but he has “to trust law enforcement.”
“I’m not a law enforcement officer. I was at Robb that day. I wasn’t directing law enforcement officers, I was there for support. Concerned for citizens and these children and teachers. Like I said, I’m as frustrated as anybody about not having answers, but again I’m not on the law enforcement side,” McLaughlin said.
He added that he will be “little more forceful in asking for more answers” after the children and teachers are laid to rest.
“Whether we get them (answers) or not, I don’t know. But I’ll be very vocal about it. I think if you ask anybody from here, I’m not bashful about being vocal,” he said.