‘He has a battle rifle’: Police feared Uvalde gunman’s AR-15

In previously unreleased interviews, police who responded to the Robb Elementary shooting told investigators they were cowed by the shooter’s military-style rifle. This drove their decision to wait for a Border Patrol SWAT team to engage him, which took more than an hour.

By Zach Despart, The Texas TribuneMarch 21, 2023 10:30 am,

From The Texas Tribune:

Jesse Rizo, the uncle of Robb Elementary victim Jackie Cazares, 9, said that the police “knew the monster behind the door was not the kid. It’s the rifle the kid is holding.”
Evan L’Roy / The Texas Tribune

A weapon of war

A rifle cartridge identical to the ammunition used in the Robb Elementary shooting. Credit: Photo illustration by Evan L’Roy / The Texas Tribune

Rifle popularity surges

Ruben Torres, whose daughter, Khloie, was wounded in the Robb Elementary shooting, served as a Marine infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan. He has no objection to civilians owning AR-15s but thinks they should be required to complete training like soldiers do.
Evan L’Roy / The Texas Tribune

The gunman’s purchase

When other officers hesitated

Family members of the Robb Elementary shooting victims and their supporters wait to meet with an aide of a state senator to ask the lawmaker to consider supporting gun reform legislation.
Evan L’Roy / The Texas Tribune

Resistance to gun control

Sandra Torres and her partner, Mack Segovia, dedicated a room in their new house to Eliahna Torres, 10, who was killed at Robb Elementary.
Evan L’Roy / The Texas Tribune