UVALDE, Texas – A new report released Wednesday is providing more insight into exactly what happened on May 24 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
The report, published by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) Center, includes an updated timeline with more minute-to-minute details regarding the massacre.
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The timeline provided by ALERRT somewhat mirrors the timeline provided by Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw several days after the mass shooting but gives additional information and a more in-depth look at what exactly took place as a teenage gunman opened fire during the last week of school.
A combination of internal school surveillance (ISS), video footage from a nearby funeral home (FH), body-worn cameras (BWC), radio logs (RL), officer statements and interviews were used to determine the timeline.
Below is the timeline provided by ALERRT. The abbreviations at the end of each entry indicate how that piece of the timeline was determined.
- 11:27:14, a female teacher (Female 1) exits the exterior door in the west hall propping the door open with a rock to prevent it from closing behind her. (ISS)
- 11:28:25, the suspect becomes involved in a motor vehicle crash in a dry canal near the elementary school. Two people from a nearby business approached the crash scene at 11:29:02. The suspect engaged them both with a rifle. The two people were able to flee back to the business unharmed and called 9-1-1. (FH)
- 11:29:40, Female 1 returns through the west entry deliberately kicking the rock from the door jamb. Female 1 pulls the door shut and continues to look out of the exterior door as she is frantically speaking on her cell phone. Female 1 attempts to enter a door on the south side of the west hallway only to find it locked. Female 1 knocked on the door, and it was eventually answered by another female (Female 2). Female 1 appears to advise Female 2 of the emergency whereupon Female 2 re-enters her room and secures the door. Female 1 moves into a room closest to the exit on the north side of the west hallway. Female 1 re-enters the hallway numerous times yelling down the hall for students to get into their classrooms. (ISS)
- 11:30:14, the suspect, wearing dark clothing and carrying a bag, left the crash scene and climbed a chain-link fence onto the elementary school property. The suspect walked deliberately across the open grounds between the fence and the teachers’ parking lot. The suspect moved towards the school buildings on the westmost side of the campus. Although a defect that might have been caused by a bullet was located on a building south of the affected structure, it could not be substantiated at this time that any rounds were fired at a teacher and children on the playground at the time of the crash. (FH)
- 11:31:36, the suspect is captured on video between the cars shooting, and a Uvalde Patrol unit is captured arriving at the crash site. (FH)
- 11:31:43, a Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police officer drives through the west gate near the crash site and across the field to the south side of the affect building, at a high rate of speed. (FH)
- 11:32:08, the suspect reached the west teachers’ parking lot adjacent to the affected building and fired through windows into the westmost rooms prior to entering the building. (FH and audio file from ISS)
- Prior to the suspect’s entry into the building at 11:33:00, according to statements, a Uvalde Police Officer on scene at the crash site observed the suspect carrying a rifle outside the west hall entry. The officer, armed with a rifle, asked his supervisor for permission to shoot the suspect. However, the supervisor either did not hear or responded too late. The officer turned to get confirmation from his supervisor and when he turned back to address the suspect, he had entered the west hallway unabated. (OS per investigating officer interview).
- 11:33:00, the suspect enters the school from the exterior door in the west hall while holding a rifle. The suspect looked around the hallway and then continued to walk down the west hallway before turning right (down the south hallway). The suspect walked past a series of rooms with closed doors and a firewall “break.” before making his way to room 111 and 112. (ISS)
- 11:33:24, upon reaching rooms 111 and 112, the suspect fired a series of rounds from the hallway in the direction of classrooms 111 and 112. (ISS)
- 11:33:32, the suspect made entry into what appears to be classroom 111. Immediately, children’s screams could be heard along with numerous gunshots in the classrooms. The rate of fire was initially very rapid then slowed, lasting only a few seconds. (ISS)
- 11:33:37, the suspect backed out of what appears to be classroom 111 into the south hallway. The suspect made a slight turn to what appears to be his left and fires a series of rounds from the hallway into classroom 112. (ISS)
- 11:35:55, all three Uvalde Police Department officers entered the structure through the west door into the west hallway. These officers were equipped with the following: one with external armor and two with concealable body armor, two rifles, and three pistols.
- 11:36:00, four officers entered the south hallway through the south door closest to the suspect. It is not clear what equipment these officers had with them. (ISS)
- 11:36:03, four more officers entered the west hallway through the west door. Three of these officers were from the UPD and one was from the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Department. They were equipped with three external body armor carriers and one with concealable body armor and pistols. It did not appear that any of the officers were in possession of breaching tools, medical equipment, ballistic shields, or “go-bags.” (ISS)
- 11:36:04, the suspect re-enters what appears to be classroom 111 and continues to fire what is estimated to be over 100 rounds (according to audio analysis). During the shooting, the sounds of children screaming, and crying could be heard (according to audio analysis). (ISS)
- 11:36:04, seven officers were in the west hallway and four officers in the south hallway as the last shots from the initial barrage from the suspect were fired. (ISS)
- 11:36:10, officers from the west and south hallway advanced to rooms 111 and 112. As the officers entered the threshold of rooms 111 and 112, they were fired upon by the suspect, who was in room 111.
- 11:37:00 - 11:37:10 gunfire drove the officers away from the threshold of rooms 111 and 112 and back to the west and south hallways prior to either team making contact with either room 111 or 112 classroom doors. (ISS)
- 11:38:38, the suspect concludes firing, according to audio estimates 11 rounds are fired. (ISS) Investigators advised that two officers were injured by building material fragments caused by the suspect’s rounds passing through the walls. Officers generally remained at the intersection of the west and south hallway and in the south hallway near the south entrance until the final assault. (IOI and ISS)
- 11:38:11, officers on scene, but outside of the hallway, call for additional assistance to include a tactical team with specialized capabilities. (BWC and UPD CS)
- 11:38:37, an officer outside of the hallway advises the suspect “is contained.” (BWC)
- 11:40:58, the suspect fires 1 round according to audio estimates. (ISS)
- 11:41:30, dispatch asked via radio if the door was locked, a UPD officer responds, “I am not sure, but we have a hooligan to break it.” (BWC)
- 11:44:00, the suspect fires one more round according to audio estimates. (ISS)
- 11:48:18, a UCISD PD officer enters through the west hallway door and states, “She says she is shot,” referring to his wife. He is escorted outside of the building. (BWC)
- 11:51:20, law enforcement from various agencies (including UPD, UCISD PD, Uvalde Sheriff’s Office, Fire Marshals, Constable Deputies, Southwest Texas Junior College Police Department, and the United States Border Patrol had arrived at the scene and were moving inside and out to evaluate the situation. (ISS, UPD CS, RL)
- 11:52:08, the first ballistic shield entered the west hallway. (ISS)
- 11:53:10, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) special agent arrived at the perimeter and was advised to man the perimeter. Another officer makes a comment about there being kids still in the building, the DPS special agent advised, “if there is then they just need to go in.”
- 11:56:49, the DPS special agent states “there’s still kids over here. So, I’m getting the kids out!” (BWC)
- 12:03:51, a second ballistic shield arrives, and at 12:04:16 a third shield arrives on scene in the west hallway. (ISS)
- 12:06:16, UPD RL notes that no Command Post is set up, advised bodies needed to keep parents out. (RL)
- 12:10:17, officers in the west hallway begin passing out and donning gas masks. (ISS)
- 12:14:10, CS gas canisters and launcher deliverable varieties are brought in. (ISS)
- 12:13:00, dispatchers had received numerous 9-1-1 calls from a child explaining that there were several children and one of her teachers deceased and another teacher hurt in room 112. (UPD 9-1-1)
- 12:15:27, it appears tactical team members of United States Border Patrol Tactical Teams arrive and assist with fortifying the law enforcement position at the intersection with ballistic shields. (ISS)
- 12:20:46, a fourth ballistic shield arrives in the west hallway. (ISS)
- 12:21:08, four shots are fired by the suspect from within one of the two classrooms. (ISS)
- 12:21:22, BORTAC members move to a set of double doors within 36′ of rooms 111 and 112 bringing two ballistic shields. However, no assault on the rooms was conducted. (ISS)
- 12:23:35, BP medical team members began setting up medical triage in the east hallway in front of the restrooms. They had numerous backboards, medical kits, a defibrillator as well as bleeding control supplies. (ISS)
- 12:21:16 - 12:34:38, a continuous conversation takes place in the south hallway, involving UCISD PD Chief Arredondo and a UPD officer discussing tactical options and considerations including snipers, windows, and how to get into the classroom. They also discussed who has the keys, testing keys, the probability of the door being locked, and if kids and teachers are dying or dead. (BWC)
- 12:35:39, BP agents arrive in the west hallway with the first observed breaching tool, a Halligan tool. (ISS)
- 12:37:45 - 12:47:25, UCISD PD Chief Arredondo attempts to negotiate with the suspect, speaking in English and Spanish. The Chief also calls someone to try to look into the windows from outside, he then begins asking for more keys. (BWC)
- 12:46:18, Arredondo exclaims, “If y’all are ready to do it, you do it. But you should distract him out that window.” (BWC)
- 12:47:25, Chief Arredondo states, “He’s going in! He’s going in! Tell those guys on the west that they’re going in! Let ‘em know!” (BWC)
- 12:47:57, a USO deputy arrives in the west hallway with a sledgehammer. (ISS)
- 12:50:03, an ad Hoc team assaults room 111, neutralizing the suspect. The suspect had concealed himself in a book closet, he then emerged when the team made entry. Footage showed officers frantically carrying the dead and injured to the casualty collection point in the east hallway. Some law enforcement officers rushed casualties directly through the exterior door at the end of the west hallway. It is unknown if medical personnel were staged nearby for direct patient handoff. (ISS)
A total of 83 minutes elapsed from when the teacher first propped open the door to when the shooter was killed by police, according to the timeline.
The massacre in Uvalde left 19 students and two teachers dead, with an additional 17 people reported to have injuries.