‘STANDING BY, WAITING’

4 Uvalde Victims Were Still Alive When Medics Got to Them

The chief medical officer for the city of Austin is launching a review of the injuries. His findings could potentially be used to charge the officers who responded to the shooting.

A criminal probe into the deaths of four Uvalde victims who were still alive when they were pulled by medics from Robb Elementary School is investigating whether the lengthy delay could have accounted for unnecessary fatalities. The Texas Rangers have requested a team of doctors, led by Austin chief medical officer Dr. Mark Escott, review the injuries and determine if any of the victims had “potentially survivable wounds,” according to the Austin-American Statesman, though Escott said it’s too soon to determine if the victims could have survived by a faster response. The May 24 shooting claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers while emergency services, including police and medical teams, stood by for 73 minutes. “I know we were ready, and I’m just going to leave it at that,” Stephen Stephens, director of Uvalde Emergency Medical Services, told the Statesman. “We were standing by, waiting.” The four victims reportedly had a pulse or were still breathing when they were pulled from the carnage, but died later.