Four years before he walked into Robb Elementary School, Salvador Ramos admitted to police in 2018 that he wanted to shoot up his school, according to newly released documents.
The case file is one of hundreds of files released by the City of Uvalde on Saturday, which include audio recordings, text messages, and body camera footage.
The release comes after a long legal battle between the city, NBC News, and other organizations.
According to Uvalde Police Department incident reports, two detectives talked to students at Morales Junior High School who were concerned that their classmate, Salvador Ramos, was planning a school shooting.
The students told police Ramos, an 8th grader at the time, “had been talking about this for about four months now” and “was fascinated with the Columbine shooting and had talked about wanting to do the same thing his senior year with his friend, [redacted name],” according to the documents.
Officers stated that they also talked to Ramos, who said he “had been talking about the school shooting but had
never planned anything.”
According to the report, Ramos said he “was tired of being bullied and was often times slapped on the back of the head for no reason, and other kids would make sexual comments towards him that he did not like.”
Reports indicate Ramos was taken to the hospital for psychological evaluation and given depression medication.
Four years later, on May 24, 2022, Ramos opened fire inside Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers before officers killed him.
Other files released on Saturday include body camera footage from Uvalde police officers that paint a picture of confusion and chaos during the mass shooting.
“We might need help. We got shots fired at a school, bro,” Sgt. Eduardo Canales is heard saying over his body camera footage around 12:26 p.m., nearly an hour after officials said Ramos had entered the school at 11:33 a.m.
But body camera footage from him and others shows officers still standing, not breaching the classroom, even as more shots ring out.
“We’re gonna see more hesitation, more of them willing to put their lives over our children’s lives,” said Brett Cross, the father of victim Uzi Garcia, shortly after the new files were released.
The footage reinforces facts had already been laid out: That nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before breaching the shooter’s classroom.
Something new that the footage shows is the officers’ actual breach of the classroom and the moments afterward.
“Where’s the suspect?” shouts one officer. “He’s dead!” shouts another.
Video, blurred by the city before release, reveals frantic and angry officers.
“[Expletive] get this guy!” said one officer.
“There was a lot of running in after the shooter was dead. Then, there was no hesitation. Then, there was this act of urgency,” Cross said.
Released records also include text messages between officers in the days following the massacre.
Most messages indicate support for one another and encourage rest.
In one exchange, Sergeant Donald Page said he would refuse to meet with President Biden.
“Thank you, sir, for the opportunity, but I am going to take the advice I was given today. I am going to camp wood, eat great brisket, and just relax,” Page wrote.
Cross said the records reinforce what he’s felt for over two years now but are still important to see.
“I think the world needs to continue to see how these officers felt, how because of them, children are dead. Because of them, teachers are dead. Because of them, children are forever changed because of their lack of action,” he said.
“Maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me; everything I tell him, he does listen to me,” said the man, who identified himself as Armando Ramos. “Maybe he could stand down or do something to turn himself in,” Ramos said, his voice cracking.
The caller told the dispatcher that the shooter, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, was with him at his house the night before. He said his nephew stayed with him in his bedroom all night and told him that he was upset because his grandmother was “bugging” him.
“Oh my god, please, please, don’t do nothing stupid,” the man says on the call. “I think he’s shooting kids.”
The call came in about 1 p.m. on May 24, 2022, about 10 minutes after the shooting had stopped. Authorities fatally shot Salvador Ramos at 12:50 p.m. He had entered the school at 11:33 a.m., officials said.
