An MSNBC guest is suggesting that race played a role in the law enforcement response to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
During an appearance on MSNBC on Tuesday night, voting rights activist Maria Teresa Kumar said, “I had a conversation with a state senator there.”
“And basically what you’re arguing is what he shared with me that had it been a different part of town, it wouldn’t have taken so long, and there would not have been such a long response rate. One likes to feel that that is not happening,” she continued.
However, Kumar said, “Sadly, when you start looking at the statistics when you start looking at the response rate, the utter failure of that police department, you do have to take a step back and question: what did race play into it?”
According to Texas Monthly, Uvalde is 72.7% Hispanic.
“And at the end of the day, these are children and families who are suffering. And our job first is to help grieve with them, but then also make sure that Texas takes charge of their state,” she added.
Host Joy Reid responded, “Absolutely.”
Watch the video below:
MSNBC guest @MariaTeresa claimed a Texas state senator told her that "Had it [Uvalde school shooting] been in a different part of town it wouldn't have taken so long.."@JoyAnnReid didn't push back and just replied "absolutely"
— Kevin Tober (@KevinTober94) June 1, 2022
These people are sick! pic.twitter.com/b5ji3kyjYz
The exchange comes a week after the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde killed 19 children and two adults.
In the days after the shooting, further details emerged that shed light on mistakes in the police response.
Col. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, told reporters on Friday that a school resource officer arrived on the scene, before the gunman entered the school, but drove by him as he was crouched behind a car.
McCraw shared that the gunman entered the school at 11:33 a.m.
By 12:03 p.m., there were reportedly 19 officers outside of the classroom the gunman entered.
However, law enforcement officials waited until 12:50 p.m. to breach the classroom door — which is when the gunman was shot.
During the time that the officers waited to breach the classroom, children were reportedly calling 9/11 to ask for help and shared that there were “eight to nine students alive.”
McCraw told reporters that the commander believed “this was a barricaded subject situation” and that there were not “more children at risk.”
However, he said, “From the benefit of hindsight, where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision. There’s no excuse for that.”
