SCRANTON, Pa. — Texas Governor Greg Abbott is among those praising law enforcement's response to the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. Others, however, are calling their actions into question.
The U.S. has seen two mass-casualty shootings in the space of two weeks; the latest was in an elementary school in Texas.
On Tuesday, an 18-year-old carrying an AR-15 reportedly charged the school and engaged a school security officer before heading into the building.
Kevin Mahoney is the director of Lackawanna College Police Academy in Scranton.
"These situations are so dynamic and fluid, you're generally relying on intelligence you're getting on the way to a scene," he said.
The 18-year-old entered the school, barricaded himself in a 4th-grade classroom, and opened fire, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Witnesses described law enforcement on the scene as "unprepared." Bystanders reportedly suggested storming the building themselves.
Texas' Public Safety director told several reporters the gunman was shot and killed by U-S Border Patrol agents 40 minutes to an hour after the first shots.
"I was with the state police for 25 years," Mahoney said. "We were trained to immediately enter and engage a threat. If it's accurate that they waited 40 minutes to enter the building, with an active shooter suspect in there, that would not be according the protocol that we teach our cadets."
Authorities in Texas said officers engaged the gunman immediately, but anonymous reports from law enforcement officials suggest border patrol agents had trouble getting through the classroom door.
"If you have that area sufficiently secured perimeter-wise by officers, where there's no way for that person to exit, then you have rescue teams that can start to assess the injured and initiate an evacuation," Mahoney said.
Mahoney said these situations can't be simulated perfectly during training, but preparation is the key to saving lives.
"I know a lot of departments have protocols for a specific facility, so you have a schematic of the building, that training has to be consistent and often. Hopefully, you never have to deal with it, but if you do, you're prepared to minimize loss of life and injury," he said.
Investigators have not determined a clear motive for the attack in Texas that killed 21 and left at least 17 people wounded.
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