Uvalde Teacher Says She Was “Scapegoat” in Providing Shooter Access to Building

  • By Matt Jones
  • October 24, 2022

A teacher from Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, recently spoke to ABC News about her experience during the May 24 shooting that left 19 students and two adults dead. Emilia “Amy” Marin served as an afterschool program coordinator and had only been at the school for a month at the time of the shooting. She said that when she heard gunshots, she closed an exterior door, called 911 and alerted people within the building, according to ABC News.

Three days later, one of the top police officials in Texas blamed her for leaving a door propped open, allowing the shooter access to the building. “The teacher runs to the room, 132, to retrieve a phone, and that same teacher walks back to the exit door and the door remains propped open,” said Col. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, said during a news conference.

Law enforcement issued a retraction of the statement days later. DPS told ABC News this week, “DPS corrected this error in public announcements and testimony and apologizes to the teacher and her family for the additional grief this has caused to an already horrific situation.”

For Marin, however, the damage was already done. She said that the trauma of the shooting itself, on top of the false accusations of providing the shooter access to the building, took a severe toll on her mental and emotional health. She said that she now has a stutter and suffers from tremors, and friends and family say that her personality has changed.

“I am suffering mentally, of course, emotionally,” she told ABC News. “I still don’t sleep.”

Marin said that on the morning of the shooting, she saw the shooter’s vehicle crash and saw him scale a school fence holding a rifle, as well as heard the sound of gunshots. She said that she kicked away a rock she’d been using to prop open an exterior door and made sure that the door closed behind her.

Marin also said that after watching the press conference days later, she felt “vilified” and hired a lawyer. She told ABC News that she felt she had been made a “scapegoat” for the tragedy.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning and Campus Security and Life Safety. He can be reached at [email protected]

Featured

  • Door Hardware and Campus Security: Enhancing Safety in Schools

    The importance of investing in school safety cannot be overstated, but knowing where to start implementation of school safety features can be a challenge. A recent survey by the National Center on Education Statistics found that a quarter of U.S. public schools have classrooms with doors that can't be locked from the inside. Even among schools with doors that do lock, recent legislation reflects a common misconception that simply keeping the doors locked all day will eliminate the potential for an attack, in direct violation of PASS (Partner Alliance for Safer Schools) Guidelines. Read Now

  • Brigham Young University Strengthens Campus Security With Genetec Operations Center

    Genetec Inc, a provider of enterprise physical security software, announced that Brigham Young University's (BYU) has optimized its security operations with the Genetec™ Operations Center work management system. Read Now

  • AI-based Risk Mitigation: The Next Advancement in Video Surveillance and Public Safety

    Safety is at the forefront of every organization and covers a gamut of scenarios, not just weapon-fueled lethal threats. It also includes smaller-scale and everyday situations like slipping hazards, fallen persons, unauthorized vehicles, and more. These issues cause disruptions in daily operations and cost companies and facilities money and downtime, so a fully realized security plan must involve actions that facility personnel should take once a hazard of any size occurs. Informing everyone that a hazard exists, where it’s located, and what actions to take is imperative for maintaining personal safety. Read Now

  • Fort Worth ISD Strengthens Event Safety

    The issue of concealed weapons being introduced into school extracurricular activities, including sporting events and graduations, became a growing concern in communities across the nation. According to the K-12 School Shooting Database, there were at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in 2024 across the United States, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, underscoring the urgent need for enhanced safety protocols. Read Now

Most   Popular