Uvalde Police Make Threat To Mother Who Ran Into School To Save Her Children
A Uvalde mom who rushed into the Texas school to save her children is now being threatened by local police for speaking up.
The controversy surrounding the Uvalde, Texas school shooting continues to shock Americans. Not only was the situation enough to declare a national tragedy, but the horrific details have also revealed the many failures of the officers handling the situation. Instead of focusing on updating active shooter protocols or working with parents and school officials to update active shooter responses within the community, a Uvalde mom was threatened by the police department after she went to the media with the remarkable story of how she saved her children herself.
Angeli Rose Gomez had two children trapped in Robb Elementary School on May 24th, during the shooting. She drove 40 miles with other frantic parents. She noted that the police officers were just standing around while an active shooter slaughtered 2 teachers and 19 students. When she argued with them, she was handcuffed and placed under arrest. She talked her way out of custody, and then snuck into the building to find her kids and rush them out safely. This Uvalde mom has told her story to numerous media outlets, including CBS news. Her desperation and the fact that she had to avoid law enforcement in order to ensure that her children were safe has raised many questions.
As democrat lawmakers push for stricter gun control, parents and teachers who heard Gomez’s story are questioning how more gun laws would protect students when police officers won’t even rush in to stop an untrained 18-year-old shooter. In addition, the Uvalde police department is now facing a serious investigation. The police chief, Pete Arredondo, gave the order to wait for more resources to handle the situation. While his team of officers stood outside the building, children called 9-1-1 begging for help. First responders have admitted that if Arrendondo had instructed his officers to act sooner, more children would have survived. At least one student was shot in the back through the kidney and likely bled to death. A swifter reaction would have saved that child and potentially others, and the more the Uvalde mom’s story circulates the more people question the response.
The Texas Department of Public Safety reported that police chief Peter Arrendondo is no longer working with investigators to give families of the victims closure. This may or may not be linked to the fact that he is now joining the Uvalde City Council. He was elected May 7th, but after his mishandling of the shooting, many believe he should step down. Instead of accepting responsibility or addressing the situation wholly, the Uvalde police department — under the control of Peter Arrendondo — has threatened Angeli Rose Gomez with a potential “parole violation” if she continues to spread the story of what happened to her while trying to save her children on the day of the deadly shooting. Terrified of being punished for merely giving interviews under her first amendment rights, this Uvalde mom has been forced to seek counsel from a local judge regarding the threat. Gomez was assured that she cannot be charged for obstructing justice or a parole violation for simply giving media interviews.
Despite this news, Gomez not only had to run into a school while a shooter was still active, in order to save her children because the police wouldn’t, she has now been threatened for letting people know what happened. Whether this Uvalde mom intends to seek legal action against the department for the threats or their mishandling of the situation is unknown, but parents who are concerned for the safety and security of their children need to know how police decisions affect the outcome of dangerous situations, and how a single order can lead to a tragedy. What they do with that information — to press police reform and better responses — is up to them.
