Uvalde school to be demolished to prevent further trauma for survivors
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The Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas where a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a mass shooting will be demolished. The decision was taken to prevent further trauma for the survivors who watched their schoolmates and colleagues die.
In 2012, another elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut was demolished after over two dozen students and staff members were killed in a mass shooting.
The mayor Don McLaughlin announced the decision during a council meeting on Tuesday. He was addressing residents who demanded answers about the tragic incident. However, a specific date for the demolition was not declared, reported BBC.
The official said a child or a teacher cannot be asked to go back to that school. He added that he held a discussion with the superintendent.
The Uvalde mass shooting has led to nationwide outrage in the US with many demanding that gun lobbies back off and the government introduce stricter gun laws. The incident took place on May 24. 18-year-old Salvador Ramos went into the building and opened fire on Class 4 students.
The local police of the town have been at the receiving end of public outrage for waiting an hour before entering the school and killing the gunman. The chief of police Pete Arredondo blamed the delay on the trouble they faced in finding a key.
Texas public safety chief Steve McCraw later said the local police waited in the hallway for an hour and 15 minutes to confront the gunman while he was firing on children.
The official told state senators in charge of the investigation that the town police department had enough officers and gear to stop the gunman within minutes. He added that the on-scene commander decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.
At least three investigations - by the U.S. Department of Justice, the Texas Legislature, and the local district attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee - are trying to find out what exactly caused the delay inside the school. There have been many contradicting accounts as to why the officers did not breach the doors of the classrooms.