h more funerals and visitations scheduled Wednesday for victims of the deadliest US school shooting in nearly 10 years, more changes in authorities' narrative of how the May 24 massacre unfolded in the South Texas city of Uvalde are emerging.
The Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, now says the door the shooter used to access Robb Elementary was closed, though not locked, when he entered before killing 21 people there.
That's a change from last week, when DPS Director Col. Steven McCraw said a teacher had propped the back door open and left it that way. On Tuesday, department spokesperson Travis Considine told the Associated Press the teacher did prop the door open but closed it once she realized a shooter was on campus, and the door did not lock. The department's press secretary confirmed Tuesday to CNN the AP report was accurate.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed after an 18-year-old gunman entered adjoining classrooms and opened fire.
Tuesday's clarification about the door represents just one of the shifts in authorities' explanation of the massacre's timeline. They face mounting questions over why 80 minutes elapsed from the time officers were first called to the moment a tactical team entered the locked classrooms and killed the gunman.
Meanwhile, families and friends have begun burying their loved ones, and the community continues to cope. In Uvalde's sun-drenched town square, a park fountain is the centerpiece of a growing memorial honoring those lost.
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/otcpod1/support