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Uvalde school shooter’s uncle tried to intervene, but his call came 10 minutes after gunman was dead

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Uvalde school shooter’s uncle tried to intervene, but his call came 10 minutes after gunman was dead

As shots rang out in the hallways and classrooms of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, one of the terrified teachers who frantically dialed 911 described “a lot, a whole lot of gunshots,” while another sobbed into the phone as a dispatcher urged her to stay quiet.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry, hurry!” the first teacher cried before hanging up.

UVALDE MASS SHOOTING VICTIMS’ FAMILIES SUING META, GUN MANUFACTURER AND VIDEO GAME MAKER

Those calls, along with bodycam footage and surveillance videos, were included in a massive collection of audio and video recordings released by officials of the city of Uvalde on Saturday after a prolonged legal fight. The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after the officials initially refused to publicly release the information from one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

One of the first calls police received on the morning of May 24, 2022, came from a woman who called 911 to report that a pickup truck had crashed into a ditch and that the occupant had run onto the school campus.

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A woman cries as she leaves the Uvalde Civic Center after a shooting was reported earlier in the day at Robb Elementary School, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.  (William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)

“Oh my God, they have a gun,” she said.

In a 911 call a few minutes later, a man screams: “He’s shooting at the kids! Get back!”

“He’s inside the school! He’s inside the school,” he yells as the screams of others can also be heard.

“Oh my God in the name of Jesus. He’s inside the school shooting at the kids,” he says.

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The delayed law enforcement response to the shooting — nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers — has been widely condemned as a massive failure.

The gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was fatally shot by authorities at 12:50 p.m. He had entered the school at 11:33 a.m., officials said.

Just before arriving at the school, Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother at her home. He then took a pickup from the home and drove to the school.

Ramos’ distraught uncle made several 911 calls begging to be put through so he could try to get his nephew to stop shooting.

Uvalde Robb elementary banner

A banner hangs at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School, the site of a May mass shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers. (AP/Eric Gay)

“Maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me, everything I tell him he does listen to me,” the man, who identified himself as Armando Ramos, said on the 911 call. “Maybe he could stand down or do something to turn himself in,” Ramos said, his voice cracking.

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He said his nephew, who had been with him at his house the night before, stayed with him in his bedroom all night, and told him that he was upset because his grandmother was “bugging” him.

“Oh my God, please, please, don’t do nothing stupid,” the man says on the call. “I think he’s shooting kids.”

But the offer arrived too late, coming just around the time that the shooting had ended and law enforcement officers killed Salvador Ramos.

Multiple federal and state investigations into the slow law enforcement response laid bare cascading problems in training, communication, leadership and technology, and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers in the South Texas city of about 15,000 people 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio. Families of the victims have long sought accountability for the slow police response.

Brett Cross’ 10-year-old nephew, Uziyah Garcia, was among those killed. Cross, who was raising the boy as a son, was angered relatives weren’t told the records were being released and that it took so long for them to be made public.

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Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

Hearts on a banner hanging on a fence in front of Robb Elementary School. (AP/Eric Gay)

“If we thought we could get anything we wanted, we’d ask for a time machine to go back in time and save our children but we can’t, so all we are asking for is for justice, accountability and transparency, and they refuse to give this to us,” he said. “This small, simple ask that I feel that we are due.”

Two of the responding officers now face criminal charges: Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. A Texas state trooper in Uvalde who had been suspended was reinstated to his job earlier this month.

In an interview this week with CNN, Arredondo said he thinks he’s been “scapegoated” as the one to blame for the botched law enforcement response.

Some of the families have called for more officers to be charged and filed federal and state lawsuits against law enforcement, social media, online gaming companies, and the gun manufacturer that made the rifle the gunman used.

Just before officers finally breached the classroom, one officer can be heard on a body camera expressing concern about friendly fire.

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“I’m kind of worried about blue on blue,” an officer said. “There are so many rifles in here.”

Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.

Law enforcement officials outside the Robb Elementary School following a shooting, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)

The classroom breach was followed by about five to six seconds of gunfire. Officers rushed forward as someone shouted, “Watch the kids! Watch the kids! Watch the kids!”

Less than a minute into the chaos, someone shouted, “”Where’s the suspect?” Someone else immediately answered, “He’s dead!”

The police response included nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials, as well as school and city police. While dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do, students inside the classroom called 911 on cellphones, begging for help, and desperate parents who had gathered outside the building pleaded with officers to go in. A tactical team eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter.

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Previously released video from school cameras showed police officers, some armed with rifles and bulletproof shields, waiting in the hallway.

A report commissioned by the city, however, defended the actions of local police, saying officers showed “immeasurable strength” and “level-headed thinking” as they faced fire from the shooter and refrained from firing into a darkened classroom.

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Los Angeles, Ca

Pasadena City Hall sustains broken pipe during 4.4 magnitude quake

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Pasadena City Hall sustains broken pipe during 4.4 magnitude quake

While Monday’s 4.4. magnitude earthquake rattled the nerves of millions of people in Southern California, damage was thankfully minimal.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the quake struck at 12:20 p.m. about 2.5 miles south of Highland Park and just west of Pasadena, where city officials said the historic city hall building sustained a broken pipe.

Water was seen cascading off the City Hall’s roof as people evacuated the building. Employees were eventually allowed back into the building just over an hour after the quake initially struck, the City of Pasadena said.

Pasadena Fire Department crews surveyed the city and found no additional damage other than the burst pipe.

There were no reports of damage or injuries elsewhere in SoCal immediately following the earthquake.

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Gov. Abbott issues executive order requiring Texas hospitals to gather data on immigration statuses

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Gov. Abbott issues executive order requiring Texas hospitals to gather data on immigration statuses

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Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an executive order mandating that public hospitals in the state gather data on patients’ immigration statuses to report to the state government.

Order GA 46, issued on Thursday, directs the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect information on illegal immigrants who use public hospitals for inpatient and emergency care and report the healthcare costs, so the state can track how much money was spent on illegal immigrants’ medical treatment and send the bill to the Biden administration, which the governor blames for the influx of illegal migrants entering the U.S. through the Southern Border.

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“Due to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ open border policies, Texas has had to foot the bill for medical costs for individuals illegally in the state,” Abbott said in a statement. “Texas should not have to shoulder the burden of financially supporting medical care for illegal immigrants.”

“That is why I issued an Executive Order requiring the Texas Health and Human Services Commission to collect and report healthcare costs for illegal immigrants in our state,” he continued. “Texas will hold the Biden-Harris Administration accountable for the consequences of their open border policies, and we will fight to ensure that they pay back Texas for their costly and dangerous policies.”

GOP STATES SUE TO STOP BIDEN ADMIN EXTENDING OBAMACARE TO ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring public hospitals in the state to collect data on patients’ immigration statuses. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)

The new rule takes effect November 1.

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The hospitals must report the data quarterly, with the first submissions due on March 1. Beginning on January 1, 2026, annual reports must be provided to the governor, lieutenant governor, and the state’s Speaker of the House on the previous year’s costs for medical care provided to illegal immigrants.

The order also states that hospitals are required to inform patients that federal law mandates that their responses to questions about immigration status will not affect medical care.

The League of United Latin American Citizens, or LULAC, is criticizing the executive order as “political rhetoric.”

“It’s pretty vague. It’s like ‘Hey, let’s just get the data.’ Well, what are you doing to do with the data?,” Gabriel Rosales, the state director for LULAC in Texas, told Fox 26.

DENVER POLICE OFFICERS FIRED OVER DISTURBING TEXT MESSAGES ABOUT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS: ‘TARGET PRACTICE’

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Greg Abbott of Texas

The order states that hospitals are required to inform patients that federal law mandates that their responses to questions about immigration status will not affect medical care. (AP Photo/Eric Gay, File)

LULAC emphasized that the executive order could keep some immigrants from seeking the medical care they require.

“It just creates a lot of fear that’s unnecessary,” Rosales said. “They need to create a pathway to citizenship.”

This comes as politicians in Texas and elsewhere are calling on the Biden administration to do more to address the crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“Undocumented immigrants contribute $26.2 billion to this country, nationally,” Sergio Lira, the president of Greater Houston LULAC, told Fox 26. “2.6 billion dollars to the state and local taxes.”

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Lira also said the federal government “subsidizes and supplements a lot of the medical costs, locally, statewide.”

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Los Angeles, Ca

Turn this "deadbolt" on to secure your online accounts today

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Turn this "deadbolt" on to secure your online accounts today

Even if you’re using strong unique passwords, there’s still a chance a hacker could trick you into sharing one of them or a data breach could expose them.

That’s why you need to enable two-factor authentication on your most important online accounts, including email, financial and social media.

Follow Tech Reporter Rich DeMuro for more tech news, tips and reviews.

“I think we all have the tools, I don’t know if we all know how to use them as best as we can be,” said Thorin Klosowski, a privacy and security activist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

“I do a lot of our how-to guides guiding people towards best practices and security and privacy and making sure that you are as safe online as you can be,” explained Klosowski.

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To protect yourself, there are a few important things you can do.

One of the top recommendations for keeping your accounts, and data, secure is to use a complex, unique password for every website.

Apple is set to make this process easier with the introduction of a dedicated Passwords app in iOS 18.

“Hopefully it’ll get more people using them,” said Klosowski.

On Android, you can use Google Password Manager or a third-party app like Bitwarden, which is free.

But the second key thing to do is turn on two-factor authentication.

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“It’s a little like odd to get used to, but it is very helpful even if you are using unique passwords everywhere,” said Klosowski.

So even if someone got your password, they would still need to enter a secondary, randomly generated code before they could login.

This is often texted to your phone, but the most secure option is to use a two-factor app.

Duo Mobile and 2FAS are popular options. Google and Microsoft also make two-factor apps.

“Right now two-factor authentication is one of the best things we have to protect our accounts,” said Klosowski.

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If your password is the door handle, two factor is a deadbolt for your accounts.

It might take a bit to set up and it might make logging in take a tiny bit longer, but it’s all worth the extra protection.

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