Texas public safety department director Steven McCraw on Friday revealed a series of emergency calls -- including by a child begging for police help -- that were made from two adjoining classrooms where the gunman was barricaded.
But, explaining the delayed reaction by law enforcement, he said the on-scene commander believed at the time that Ramos was in there alone, with no survivors, after his initial assault.
McCraw separately told reporters, however, that a 911 call received at 12:16 pm reported eight or nine children still alive.
As many as 19 officers were outside the classroom door at that time, according to McCraw's timeline.
McCraw said one caller -- a child who dialed 911 multiple times -- begged for police to come. Her final call was cut off as she made it outside.
Meantime in Uvalde, Humberto Renovato urged those gathered at the courthouse square to help survivors overcome "the trauma, the pain, the suffering" they had endured.
"As a community," he said, "we have to develop strategies of how we're going to help these kids to get out of that trauma, to get out of that pain."
