Texas
What did police know throughout the elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas?
As investigators dig deeper into the regulation enforcement response to the college capturing in Uvalde, Texas, a number of disturbing questions stay about what officers on the scene knew because the lethal assault was unfolding.Did any of them know youngsters have been trapped in a classroom with the gunman? Was that probably important info relayed to the incident commander on the scene? And did officers problem the commander’s resolution to not promptly storm the classroom?Authorities haven’t launched audio of the 911 calls or radio communications however have confirmed dispatchers acquired panicked 911 calls from college students trapped within the locked classroom with the gunman whereas officers waited in a hallway exterior.In an obvious breakdown in communications, the commander overseeing police on the scene, faculty district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, was by no means knowledgeable that youngsters have been calling 911 from inside the college, Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez stated Thursday.Gutierrez informed The Related Press on Friday that the state company investigating the capturing decided Arredondo was not carrying a police radio because the bloodbath unfolded. Arredondo additionally has come below criticism for not ordering officers to instantly breach the classroom and take down the gunman. Steven McCraw, the pinnacle of the Texas Division of Public Security, stated that Arredondo believed the energetic capturing had became a hostage scenario, and that the chief made the “improper resolution.”Nineteen youngsters and two academics have been killed within the assault final week at Robb Elementary, the deadliest faculty capturing in almost a decade. Seventeen others have been injured. The funerals started this week.Arredondo has not responded to repeated interview requests from The AP, and phone messages left on the faculty police headquarters weren’t returned.There have been different instances by which officers on the scene of against the law weren’t relayed important info by a police dispatcher, actually because the dispatcher wasn’t following protocols, stated Dave Warner, a retired police officer and knowledgeable on the Worldwide Academies of Emergency Dispatch.He cited a 2009 home disturbance name in Pittsburgh by which a lady informed a 911 operator that her son was armed. That info was by no means relayed to responding officers. Once they arrived, the person opened fireplace, in the end killing three officers and critically wounding two.”It is an outdated case, but it surely’s nonetheless very related in the present day,” Warner stated. Protocols for 911 dispatchers dealing with calls in active-shooter conditions additionally particularly warning towards altering a regulation enforcement response primarily based solely on the period of time that has elapsed since pictures have been final heard, Warner stated.Warner stated these protocols have been developed partially on account of the 2007 mass capturing at Virginia Tech, the place a scholar killed 32 folks. In that case, the gunman first killed two folks at a dormitory. Police and faculty authorities thought that the gunman had fled the campus and that the hazard had handed. However he as an alternative moved on to a different a part of campus a few hours later and continued his murderous rampage. Warner stated the protocols stress that dispatchers shouldn’t suppose a capturing is over “simply because that caller can not see the shooter or hear pictures being fired.”The protocols additionally define key questions for 911 dispatchers to ask callers in active-shooter instances, together with the sorts of weapons concerned, the quantity and placement of suspects and whether or not the caller can safely evacuate the constructing.The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the college earlier than regulation enforcement officers killed him, based on an official timeline. Because the capturing, regulation enforcement and state officers have struggled to current an correct account of how police responded, generally offering conflicting info or withdrawing some statements hours later. A lot of these particulars are prone to turn into clearer after reviewing 911 calls and police radio communications, stated Fritz Reber, a 27-year veteran and former captain with the Chula Vista, California, Police Division who has studied 911 dispatch programs.Operators at a 911 heart sometimes relay info from callers in writing to a dispatcher, who then passes it alongside to officers within the subject over the radio.On the scene of main occasions, a selected radio channel is often established so that every one native, state and federal businesses can talk with each other, Reber stated. It’s not clear whether or not that was accomplished in Uvalde.Reber stated one purpose info is probably not relayed by dispatchers to officers on the bottom is that dispatchers do not need to overload the channel with particulars they assume police on the scene would already know.”The idea is the officers are there and can know extra about what is going on on than the folks calling 911,” he stated.Thor Eells, former commander of a 16-member SWAT crew in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and director of the Nationwide Tactical Officers Affiliation, stated one other key query is how many individuals have been working on the 911 name heart masking Uvalde.”Plenty of 911 calls have been being positioned, and in my expertise that may result in info overload,” he stated. “When the 911 name heart is being overwhelmed, this can be very troublesome to be sure you have a well timed move of data.” There have been communication breakdowns throughout different mass shootings in Texas, and consultants say smaller, regional dispatch facilities are sometimes inundated with calls throughout a serious emergency.Police communications have been an issue in 2019 when a gunman shot and killed seven folks and wounded greater than two dozen throughout a rampage in Odessa, Texas. Authorities stated 36-year-old gunman Seth Aaron Ator known as 911 earlier than and after the shootings, however a failure in communication between businesses — they weren’t all working on the identical radio channel — slowed the response. Ator was in a position to cowl about 10 miles earlier than officers shot and killed him.
As investigators dig deeper into the regulation enforcement response to the college capturing in Uvalde, Texas, a number of disturbing questions stay about what officers on the scene knew because the lethal assault was unfolding.
Did any of them know youngsters have been trapped in a classroom with the gunman? Was that probably important info relayed to the incident commander on the scene? And did officers problem the commander’s resolution to not promptly storm the classroom?
Authorities haven’t launched audio of the 911 calls or radio communications however have confirmed dispatchers acquired panicked 911 calls from college students trapped within the locked classroom with the gunman whereas officers waited in a hallway exterior.
In an obvious breakdown in communications, the commander overseeing police on the scene, faculty district Police Chief Pete Arredondo, was by no means knowledgeable that youngsters have been calling 911 from inside the college, Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez stated Thursday.
Gutierrez informed The Related Press on Friday that the state company investigating the capturing decided Arredondo was not carrying a police radio because the bloodbath unfolded.
Arredondo additionally has come below criticism for not ordering officers to instantly breach the classroom and take down the gunman. Steven McCraw, the pinnacle of the Texas Division of Public Security, stated that Arredondo believed the energetic capturing had became a hostage scenario, and that the chief made the “improper resolution.”
Nineteen youngsters and two academics have been killed within the assault final week at Robb Elementary, the deadliest faculty capturing in almost a decade. Seventeen others have been injured. The funerals started this week.
Arredondo has not responded to repeated interview requests from The AP, and phone messages left on the faculty police headquarters weren’t returned.
There have been different instances by which officers on the scene of against the law weren’t relayed important info by a police dispatcher, actually because the dispatcher wasn’t following protocols, stated Dave Warner, a retired police officer and knowledgeable on the Worldwide Academies of Emergency Dispatch.
He cited a 2009 home disturbance name in Pittsburgh by which a lady informed a 911 operator that her son was armed. That info was by no means relayed to responding officers. Once they arrived, the person opened fireplace, in the end killing three officers and critically wounding two.
“It is an outdated case, but it surely’s nonetheless very related in the present day,” Warner stated.
Protocols for 911 dispatchers dealing with calls in active-shooter conditions additionally particularly warning towards altering a regulation enforcement response primarily based solely on the period of time that has elapsed since pictures have been final heard, Warner stated.
Warner stated these protocols have been developed partially on account of the 2007 mass capturing at Virginia Tech, the place a scholar killed 32 folks.
In that case, the gunman first killed two folks at a dormitory. Police and faculty authorities thought that the gunman had fled the campus and that the hazard had handed. However he as an alternative moved on to a different a part of campus a few hours later and continued his murderous rampage.
Warner stated the protocols stress that dispatchers shouldn’t suppose a capturing is over “simply because that caller can not see the shooter or hear pictures being fired.”
The protocols additionally define key questions for 911 dispatchers to ask callers in active-shooter instances, together with the sorts of weapons concerned, the quantity and placement of suspects and whether or not the caller can safely evacuate the constructing.
The gunman in Uvalde, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, spent roughly 80 minutes inside the college earlier than regulation enforcement officers killed him, based on an official timeline.
Because the capturing, regulation enforcement and state officers have struggled to current an correct account of how police responded, generally offering conflicting info or withdrawing some statements hours later.
A lot of these particulars are prone to turn into clearer after reviewing 911 calls and police radio communications, stated Fritz Reber, a 27-year veteran and former captain with the Chula Vista, California, Police Division who has studied 911 dispatch programs.
Operators at a 911 heart sometimes relay info from callers in writing to a dispatcher, who then passes it alongside to officers within the subject over the radio.
On the scene of main occasions, a selected radio channel is often established so that every one native, state and federal businesses can talk with each other, Reber stated. It’s not clear whether or not that was accomplished in Uvalde.
Reber stated one purpose info is probably not relayed by dispatchers to officers on the bottom is that dispatchers do not need to overload the channel with particulars they assume police on the scene would already know.
“The idea is the officers are there and can know extra about what is going on on than the folks calling 911,” he stated.
Thor Eells, former commander of a 16-member SWAT crew in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and director of the Nationwide Tactical Officers Affiliation, stated one other key query is how many individuals have been working on the 911 name heart masking Uvalde.
“Plenty of 911 calls have been being positioned, and in my expertise that may result in info overload,” he stated. “When the 911 name heart is being overwhelmed, this can be very troublesome to be sure you have a well timed move of data.”
There have been communication breakdowns throughout different mass shootings in Texas, and consultants say smaller, regional dispatch facilities are sometimes inundated with calls throughout a serious emergency.
Police communications have been an issue in 2019 when a gunman shot and killed seven folks and wounded greater than two dozen throughout a rampage in Odessa, Texas.
Authorities stated 36-year-old gunman Seth Aaron Ator known as 911 earlier than and after the shootings, however a failure in communication between businesses — they weren’t all working on the identical radio channel — slowed the response. Ator was in a position to cowl about 10 miles earlier than officers shot and killed him.
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
Texas women’s basketball nonconference schedule
After a 103-57 win over South Dakota State on Sunday, the Texas Longhorns will head into their holiday break on a high note.
Sunday’s lopsided win at Moody Center came five days after Texas beat La Salle by a 111-49 score. Texas hadn’t scored 100 points in consecutive games since it did so against McNeese State and UTSA in November 2017.
Texas never trailed on Sunday, and freshmen Jordan Lee and Justice Carlton served as first-half catalysts for the No. 6 team in the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll. Lee started and scored 10 first-quarter points while Carlton came off the bench to score 17 first-half points on 7-of-9 shooting. Combined, Lee and Carlton had 29 points in the first half. South Dakota State’s entire team had 26.
While Texas built its 53-26 lead in the first half, eight of the nine Longhorns who played scored. The surprising exception was All-American Madison Booker, who distributed three assists and grabbed three rebounds but missed her three shots.
A perennial NCAA tournament qualifier that had split its prior games against ranked Creighton and Duke teams, South Dakota State (10-3) never cut into its 27-point halftime deficit in the second half.
Here are three observations from Sunday’s 46-point rout:
Mwenentanda remains patient with her process
Carlton finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while senior forward Taylor Jones had 15 points, 11 rebounds and four blocks. Lee and senior guard Rori Harmon respectively added 14 and 13 points for a Texas team that shot 53.9% from the field. Booker was limited to nine points, but Harmon pointed out after the game that Booker’s +/- of 41 was the best among the Longhorns.
Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda was the fifth Longhorn to record a double-digit scoring total. Over 11 minutes, Mwenentanda scored 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
Mwenentanda grew up in South Dakota and was that state’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. The school in Sioux Falls where she won a state championship is about an hour drive from South Dakota State’s campus. Mwenentanda was recruited by the Jackrabbits but she said that she was attracted to what Texas could offer her athletically and academically.
Since arriving on campus, Mwenentanda has shown glimpses of her potential since arriving at Texas, but she has mainly been a role player for the Longhorns. Sunday was the 11th time that she scored at least 10 points in a game. Just twice in her career has she played more than 25 minutes.
Mwenentanda sees herself as a Swiss Army Knife on the Texas roster. She’s listed as a 6-foot-2 guard on the team’s roster, but Vic Schaefer has mainly used her as a “4” player this season. Mwenentanda played some in the paint last season, but she got more playing time as a guard. Training more with the post players this offseason has helped her adjust to that role this season.
“I physically prepared for it, I mentally prepared for it. I’m enjoying it,” Mwenentanda said.
Schaefer praised the play of Mwenentanda in his postgame press conference on Sunday. Earlier in the week, Mwenentanda said that she was staying patient with her process.
“Everybody’s process is different. I feel like comparing myself to other people’s process would be one reason to give up,” Mwenentanda said. “Everybody on this team are great players, are great women so even though this process is a little bit different for me, it’s not something I look at negatively because I know everybody’s working hard and everybody’s pitching in.”
Status for sidelined Laila Phelia remains unclear
Texas senior Laila Phelia missed her third straight game on Sunday. Phelia suffered a detached retina during the offseason. Texas has not announced a timeline for her return, but Schaefer has said the program will soon release an update.
The leading scorer at Michigan last season, Phelia has played in just eight of the Longhorns’ 13 games. She is averaging 6.1 points and 19.4 minutes per game while shooting 40.5% from the field.
What’s next for Texas? Rest and one final tune-up
Next on the schedule for Texas is a home game against UTRGV (6-6) on Dec. 29. That will be the Longhorns’ final game until their Southeastern Conference debut at Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 2025.
But first, the Longhorns will get some rest. Mwenentanda won’t be able to fly back to South Dakota until Monday morning, but the rest of the Longhorns headed home after Sunday’s win. The Longhorns will return to practice on Dec. 27.
How will the Longhorns spend their break? The three players who attended Sunday’s postgame press conference – Carlton, Harmon and Mwenentanda – said they’d take some time off, but they added that they’ll get some workouts in with family and hometown trainers.
As for Schaefer? He’ll do some work over the break, but he won’t be in his office.
“I’m going to be standing in about knee-deep water in the morning calling a duck and having my son (Logan) with me and my dog, my hunting dog, not my show dog. We’ll enjoy some time together in the morning and then we’ll wet a line and fish in the afternoon,” Schaefer said. “I’ll probably sit in my bow stand a couple of nights with my computer in my lap and watch film. I don’t really care if I see anything or not, but I usually see a lot. I get more work done sitting in a bow stand in a bow blind than I do a lot of times sitting at my desk.
“I’ll just enjoy time with family. I’m really blessed with Holly and Logan and Blair here and we’re all together at Christmas, and it’s just a special time for us. We really embrace the Christmas season.”
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Former Colorado Buffaloes defensive end Dayon Hayes is set to continue his collegiate career at Texas A&M after transferring following a season-ending injury. Hayes, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound defender, began his journey at Pitt, where he played from 2020 to 2023, accumulating 13 sacks and 80 tackles over four seasons.
At Pitt, Hayes showcased his potential in his sophomore and junior years, logging around 500 combined snaps and producing 30 pressures. His breakout came in 2023 when he amassed 44 pressures and a 13% pass rush win rate, ranking 12th in the ACC. Hayes also demonstrated solid run defense, posting an average tackle depth of 1.6 yards and recording 10.5 stops for loss. His ability to set the edge and prevent runners from escaping outside made him a critical piece of Pitt’s defense.
Following his success at Pitt, Hayes transferred to Colorado as a highly sought-after addition to Deion Sanders’ revamped Buffaloes roster. He made an immediate impact, registering two sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss in Colorado’s first three games. However, his promising start was cut short by a knee injury in the fourth game, sidelining him for the rest of the season.
Deion Sanders says he won’t attend the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay
Despite the setback, Hayes’ strong early performance likely earned him a medical redshirt, granting him another year of eligibility. With his final collegiate season on the horizon, Hayes opted to join Texas A&M, bringing his pass-rushing skills to the SEC. The Aggies, coming off an eight-win season, are set to face USC in the Las Vegas Bowl. Hayes’ ability to pressure quarterbacks and defend the run should bolster Texas A&M’s defensive front, adding experience and depth to their edge rotation for the 2024 season.
ARLINGTON — North Crowley showed out on Saturday in its dazzling 50-21 victory over Austin Westlake in the 6A Division I state title game, winning the program’s second state championship and putting Fort Worth high school football on the map in front of 36,120 fans at AT&T Stadium.
Until North Crowley took the field at 7:30 p.m., there was a possibility the Dallas-Fort Worth area might boast only one state champion in 2024. Celina routed Kilgore 55-21 in the 4A Division I state championship to capture the program’s ninth state title and its first under coach Bill Elliott.
But North Texas teams came up short in the next three title games, the region’s worst showing at state since 2021, when South Oak Cliff became the first Dallas ISD school to win a recognized state championship since 1958, but Denton Guyer and Duncanville fell in the 6A state championship games.
Two-time state champion South Oak Cliff missed a last-second field goal, falling 38-35 to third-year program Richmond Randle in the 5A Division II state title game Friday night. It was SOC’s second straight loss in the state championship game.
“The future is still bright,” South Oak Cliff coach Jason Todd said. “We just gotta find out what’s going to get us over this hump.”
Smithson Valley, from the San Antonio area, topped Highland Park 32-20 as the six-time state champion faded in the second half of the 5A Division I state title game Saturday afternoon.
In the second game of the day, eight-time state champion Southlake Carroll extended its title drought to 13 years with a 24-17 loss to Austin Vandegrift in the 6A Division II game.
“It’ll happen one day. I’m excited about what the future holds,” said Carroll coach Riley Dodge, who fell to 0-2 in state title games as a coach.
The Dallas area claimed three football state champions in 2023 with Anna winning the 4A Division I state title and Duncanville and DeSoto sweeping the 6A Division I and II state championships, respectively. The southern Dallas County schools also swept the 6A state championships in 2022, when South Oak Cliff won its second straight 5A Division II state title.
But this year, the rest of Texas didn’t let the Dallas area, a high school football mecca, run the table. Teams from each of the state’s major metros — Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio —- won a title in each division of the UIL’s two highest classifications.
Even before this week’s state championship games, 2024 seemed to mark a changing of the guard. Neither Duncanville, DeSoto nor Houston-area power Galena Park North Shore made it to AT&T Stadium this year. Nor did 12-time UIL state champion Aledo, the juggernaut west of Fort Worth that had won the last two 5A Division I state championships.
But North Crowley did, after knocking off both DeSoto and Duncanville this season. North Texas might not have dominated the competition as it has in recent years, but for a third straight season, the king of 6A reigns in Dallas-Fort Worth.
“When you get to this point, there’s only one team that’s standing that’s hoisting the trophy. And fortunately for us, this year it’s us and we just happen to be from 817,” North Crowley coach Ray Gates said. “We’re elated to be able to bring that type of recognition back to our community, just to let people know that when you talk about this area, when you talk about Metroplex football, you can’t forget about us.”
On Twitter/X: @t_myah
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