Fourth-grader recounts harrowing moment Salvador Ramos stormed Texas school
A fourth-grader at Robb Elementary School has shared harrowing details of the moment madman shooter Salvador Ramos entered the classroom — announcing to the terrified students, “It’s time to die!”
The boy told KENS 5 that he and four classmates took cover under a cloth-covered table when the crazed gunman stormed in after blasting another door.
“When I heard the shooting through the door, I told my friend to hide under something so he won’t find us,” the youngster told the outlet. “I was hiding hard. And I was telling my friend to not talk because he is going to hear us.”
The brave boy continued his chilling account: “He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, he said, ‘It’s time to die!’”
“When the cops came, the cop said, ‘Yell if you need help!’ And one of the persons in my class said, ‘Help!’” the boy told KENS 5.
“The guy overheard and he came in and shot her. The cop barged into that classroom. The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting,” he added.
The fourth-grader said that after the horrific attack, which left 19 of his classmates and two teachers dead, he and the others came out from under the table, which may have prevented Ramos from seeing them.
“I just opened the curtain and I just put my hand out,” he said. “I got out with my friend. I knew it was police. I saw the armor and the shield.”
The boy also credited murdered teachers Irma Garcia and Eva Mireles for their final acts of heroism.
“They were nice teachers. They went in front of my classmates to help. To save them,” the boy said, adding that talking to his family and a counselor about the horror has helped him cope with the trauma.
“I would like to say to every kid and parent to be safe,” he told KENS 5.
The young survivor’s account of the attack comes as it was revealed that the gunman spent more than 40 minutes inside the school as witnesses desperately urged police to charge into the building.
Tap the right side of the screen below to watch this web story:
Ramos had barricaded himself inside the classroom before opening fire on students and teachers inside.
Local police, state police and 80 Border Patrol officers swarmed to the scene, where the CBP agents finally breached the door about 40 minutes to an hour later when a staff member gave them a key.
Four of the 80 Border Patrol officers entered the building and killed Ramos, according to a Customs and Border Protection official.
US Border Patrol chief Raul Ortiz told CNN on Wednesday that as soon as the Border Patrol officers arrived, “they didn’t hesitate.”
“They didn’t hesitate. They came up with a plan,” Ortiz told the outlet. “They entered that classroom and they took care of the situation as quickly as they possibly could.”
Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said it was “within 40 minutes or so” from when the gunman opened fire on a school security officer that the Border Patrol team shot him.
The specialized, SWAT-like team known as the Border Patrol Tactical Unit struggled to breach the classroom door and had to get a staff member to open it with a key, a law enforcement official who requested anonymity told the Associated Press.
