Officials: Teacher closed propped-open door before Uvalde school shooting but it was not locked

Uvalde police and school district police are no longer cooperating with the Texas DPS's probe into the shooting, sources say.

ByWill Steakin, Aaron Katersky, Josh Margolin, Julia Jacobo and Melissa Gaffney ABCNews logo
Wednesday, June 1, 2022
New questions about how gunman entered Uvalde school
The Texas Department of Public Safety corrected comments it made stating that a teacher had left a door propped open that the gunman used to enter Robb Elementary School prior to the shooting.

UVALDE, Texas -- The Texas Department of Public Safety is correcting previous comments it made stating that a teacher had left a door propped open that the Uvalde gunman used to enter Robb Elementary School prior to the shooting.



Texas Department of Public Safety press secretary Ericka Miller confirmed to ABC News that investigators have now determined that the teacher closed the door but that the door did not lock. Law enforcement is looking into why the door did not lock, DPS confirmed to ABC News.



The clarification comes just days after Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said the teacher left the door propped open prior to the gunman entering the school.



"The teacher runs to the room, 132, to retrieve a phone, and that same teacher walks back to the exit door and the door remains propped open," McCraw said during a press conference last Friday.



SEE ALSO: Video appears to show Texas 911 dispatchers relaying info from kids in Robb Elementary classroom

Video taken outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, appears to capture a 911 dispatcher alerting officers that they were receiving calls from kids.


Twenty-one people, including 19 third and fourth graders and two teachers, were murdered on May 24 when 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos allegedly opened fire at Robb Elementary School with an AR-15 style rifle he purchased days before.



Another 17 people, including three law enforcement officers, were injured in the attack.



WATCH: 9-year-old says teacher played dead after being shot in Uvalde classroom, recounts seeing gunman

Daniel Garza, 9, recounted seeing the gunman and hiding in his classroom during the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting.


A lawyer for the teacher told the San Antonio Express-News that the teacher "saw the wreck" and then "ran back inside to get her phone to report the accident. She came back out while on the phone with 911. The men at the funeral home yelled, 'He has a gun!' She saw him jump the fence, and he had a gun so she ran back inside."



The lawyer added, "She kicked the rock away when she went back in. She remembers pulling the door closed while telling 911 that he was shooting. She thought the door would lock because that door is always supposed to be locked."



Uvalde police, school district no longer cooperating with Texas probe of shooting: Sources


The Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Independent School District police force are no longer cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety's investigation into the massacre at Robb Elementary School and the state's review of the law enforcement response, multiple law enforcement sources tell ABC News.



The Uvalde police chief and a spokesperson for the Uvalde Independent School District did not immediately respond to requests for comment from ABC News.



According to sources, the decision to stop cooperating occurred soon after the director of DPS, Col. Steven McCraw, held a news conference Friday during which he said the delayed police entry into the classroom was "the wrong decision" and contrary to protocol.



MORE: Official says police made 'wrong decision' not to enter Uvalde classroom

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said the on-site commander believed the gunman was barricaded and children were not at risk.


Reached by ABC News, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety said, "The Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde CISD Police have been cooperating with investigators. The chief of the Uvalde CISD Police provided an initial interview but has not responded to a request for a follow-up interview with the Texas Rangers that was made two days ago."



Funerals for victims of Uvalde school shooting begin


The first funerals for victims killed in the second-worst school shooting in U.S. history are expected to occur in Uvalde, Texas, one week after the massacre.



Amerie Jo Garza and Maite Rodriguez, both 10 years old, will be laid to rest Tuesday following funeral services in the afternoon. Visitations for the students began on Monday.



MORE: What we know about 21 Texas school shooting victims; teacher's widower dies of heart attack

Funerals began Monday for some of the victims in the Uvalde, Texas school massacre. They'll be taking place almost every single day for the next two and a half weeks.


The last photo ever taken of Garza, at this year's award's day, was featured inside the Hillcrest Funeral Home where her visitation took place, one mourner told ABC Houston station KTRK. Maite Rodriguez was "charismatic" and "goal-driven," her mother told The Associated Press.



"I can't begin to imagine what these families are going through," the woman said as she wiped away tears. "And that's the hardest part. You know, if I could take a little bit of their pain away, I think I would."



Visitations at the same funeral home also began on Tuesday for Nevaeh Alyssa Bravo and Jose Manuel Flores Jr., both 10 years old.



Memorial services for victims are expected to take place in the small town through June 16.



SEE ALSO: Parents of 4th-grade victim in Uvalde school shooting beg lawmakers for change

Lexi Rubio's parents are not blaming law enforcement for what happened, but they are asking Texas lawmakers to ban the military-style rifle used in the shooting.


Uvalde ISD police chief sworn in as city council member


Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was sworn in as a city council member Tuesday night.



Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said members were sworn in per the city's charter.



"Out of respect for the families who buried their children today, and who are planning to bury their children in the next few days, no ceremony was held," he said in a statement obtained by ABC News Austin affiliate KVUE.



"Our parents deserve answers and I trust the Texas Department of Public Safety/Texas Rangers will leave no stone unturned," McLaughlin continued. "Our emotions are raw, and hearts are broken, and words are sometimes exchanged because of those emotions.



MORE: Onlookers urged police to charge into Texas school after shooting began, witnesses say

Video shows parents begging police officers to charge into the Texas elementary school where a gunman's rampage killed 19 children and two teachers.


"I want Lt. Governor Dan Patrick to know that I misunderstood statements I thought he said. We both attended the same law enforcement briefing. We appreciate the concern Dan Patrick has for the citizens of Uvalde and local law enforcement," the mayor added. "I ask everyone to pray for us, the citizens of Uvalde as we grieve, and live through the pain, and the healing process."



The ceremony comes exactly one week since the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.



SEE ALSO: Mass shootings in the U.S. have nearly tripled since 2013, data shows

Law enforcement says the United States has seen a sharp rise in deadly mass shootings.



Since 2017, mass shootings in the United States -- described as shooting incidents in which at least four people are injured or killed -- have nearly doubled year over year. Already, there have been 212 mass shooting incidents in 2022 -- a 50% increase from 141 shootings in May 2017. The graphic above shows the number of shooting incidents per state. Mobile users: Click here to see our map of mass shootings in the US from the last five years




The number of people injured or killed does not include the suspect or perpetrator. These graphics show the number of victims across all mass shootings from the last five years.
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