A Robb Elementary School teacher has been left traumatized by Texas officials’ false claim that she left a back door propped open that gunman Salvador Ramos used to enter the school and kill 19 children and two educators, the woman’s lawyer said on Thursday.
Attorney Don Flanary told ABC that the teacher, who has not been publicly identified, had gone outside to get food from a colleague when she saw the suspect crash his truck and head towards the school with a gun around his chest. Flanary said the teacher ran into the school but kicked a rock holding the door open before slamming it shut.
“She thought she was going to die herself. She was waiting for him to come in,” Flanary commented.
Initially, Texas Department of Public Safety director Steven McGraw said the teacher propped open the push-bar door prior to the shooting, suggesting that was the reason the gunman gained access to the school. Days later, however, Texas Department of Public Safety press secretary Ericka Miller told ABC that this was not the case — as investigators determined the door was shut but the door did not lock.
Previously, Flanary told the San Antonio Express-News that the teacher had called 911 upon seeing the armed gunman throw a bag over the fence and approach the school. The call reportedly dropped at some point and nobody called the teacher back. The teacher did not call 911 a second time because she feared the gunman would find her.
“All she could do was hide under a counter,” Flanary said.
Officials have not disclosed why the door failed to lock on May 24, and whether it was an ongoing matter before the May 24 mass shooting. The Texas Department of Public Safety said the matter remains under investigation.
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[Featured image: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong]
