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Photo appears to show Uvalde officers had rifles, shield 19 minutes into the attack but didn’t confront gunman

According to the Austin American-Statesman, an image from a surveillance video appears to show multiple officers with rifles and a ballistic shield in a hallway 19 minutes into the mass shooting.

A new image from inside Robb Elementary School appears to show officers at the scene of last month's mass shooting had heavier firepower and more protective gear than previously thought only 19 minutes into the attack but did not storm the gunman for nearly another hour, according to a report.

A still image from surveillance video reviewed by the Austin American-Statesman appears to show multiple officers armed with rifles and at least one ballistic shield in a hallway 19 minutes after the gunman started shooting.

"Investigators really believe at this point, based on my understanding, that that was certainly enough firepower to try and take on the gunman," Austin American-Statesman reporter Tony Plohetski told NBC News correspondent Gabe Gutierrez on TODAY Tuesday.


The question remains why officers waited nearly another hour to storm the classroom. The gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas, before police stormed a classroom and shot him dead 77 minutes after the attack started.

"Whether you have the equipment or not, you just go in, and that never happened here," Texas state Sen. Roland Gutierrez told MSNBC.

The Texas Tribune also released a detailed timeline on Monday night that is based on video footage and investigative materials, which have not been verified by NBC News.

The shooter opened fire at officers closest to classrooms 111 and 112, "grazing two" officers and prompting a standoff, according to the Texas Tribune. Several minutes later, the police chief for the Uvalde school district, Pete Arredondo, phoned into dispatch requesting "more firepower," according to the report.

"We all have pistols, and this guy's got a rifle," Arrendondo said, according to a transcript reviewed by the Texas Tribune but not verified by NBC News.

"The question of why they were not directed to go in, and who should have been giving that direction? I think those are questions that the investigators — state, federal and local — are going to be focusing on for a long while," Texas Tribune editor-in-chief Sewell Chan said on TODAY Tuesday.

Victims' families demanded accountability at a school board meeting in Uvalde on Monday night, and some community members have called for Arredondo to resign.

Arrendondo, who did not respond to a request for comment by NBC News, said in an interview with the Texas Tribune earlier this month that he did not instruct police to avoid a breach, and that he never considered himself the scene's incident commander.

The Uvalde City Council is scheduled to consider on Tuesday whether to grant Arredondo a leave of absence from future council meetings. New revelations about the attack are also set to be presented on Tuesday at a public Texas senate hearing.