Authorities under pressure to provide details two days after Uvalde school shooting

Yahoo News Video
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At a press conference on Thursday, Victor Escalon, regional director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, didn’t answer reporters’ questions on the specifics of Tuesday’s school shooting in Uvalde.

Video Transcript

- Is it accurate that eyewitnesses and potentially parents of the students were urging the police to go in while you were waiting for a tactical SWAT team, even that some parents were asking to borrow police armor so they could make a counterassault on the school?

VICTOR ESCALON: I have heard that information, but we have not verified that yet. So--

- What part haven't you verified?

VICTOR ESCALON: We have not verified is that a true statement or not, or is it just rumor out there? So you've got to understand we're getting a lot of information we're trying to track down and see what is true. We want to vet it. That's all I have.

- We understand--

VICTOR ESCALON: Thank you so much.

- One officer that went in had the tactical gear.

VICTOR ESCALON: OK, OK, OK.

- Can you explain just allowing those--

- Hold on.

- --for an hour?

VICTOR ESCALON: So, look, we appreciate the questions.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ: What were the officers doing between 11:44 and 12:44?

VICTOR ESCALON: I got you.

- Those have been our questions.

VICTOR ESCALON: Yes, sir?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ: You guys have said that he was barricaded. Can you explain to us how he was barricaded, and why you guys could not breach that door?

VICTOR ESCALON: So I have taken all your questions in consideration. We will be doing updates. We will be doing updates to answer those questions.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ: You should be able to answer that question now, sir.

VICTOR ESCALON: What is your name?

SHIMON PROKUPECZ: Shimon Prokupecz from CNN.

VICTOR ESCALON: Shimon, I hear you.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ: Because we've been given a lot of bad information, so why not clear all of this up and explain to us how it is that your officers who were in there for an hour, yes, rescuing people, but yet no one was able to get inside that room?

VICTOR ESCALON: Shimon, we will circle back with you. We want to answer all your questions. We want to give you the why. That's our job. So give us time. I'm taking all your questions. I'm taking them back and talking to the team.

- Can you tell us how the door was barricaded?

VICTOR ESCALON: Look, thank you for being here. Have a--

- How was the door barricaded?

VICTOR ESCALON: We'll talk soon.

- [SPEAKING SPANISH].

VICTOR ESCALON: We'll talk soon.