Parkland first responder weighs in on Uvalde massacre: 'It's gut wrenching'
PARKLAND – Helpless Uvalde, Texas parents cried out in anguish, physically held back, on a Tuesday afternoon that will haunt them forever.
Told to stay back while a crazed gunman remained in Robb Elementary, for at least an hour, with 22 magazines, executing 19 young children and two teachers all in one classroom.
Texas law enforcement now taking heat for its slow response time.
"It's saddening, it's gut wrenching, but it's not surprising, really not much has changed between mass shootings," explained Ed McGovern, a retired major with the Hallandale Beach Police Department.
It's a sad reality from someone who knows. McGovern tells there's always one thing that slows response times at mass casualty scenes.
"Communications failure is always evident," McGovern noted.
It's why McGoverns's developed something called CERA to give first responders eyes on future mass shooting scenes.
"We're still using antiquated technology."
The retired major responded to both the Fort Lauderdale International Airport shooting and the Marjory Stoneman Douglas massacre. And, as a parent himself, tells us he would've wanted to rush into Robb Elementary too, but it's simply not safe.
"If parents are rushing in we're just adding potential casualties to the situation."
Texas authorities now also backtracking on initial reports the gunman was met by an armed school guard.
"I don't think it's changing of the stories as things develop. All the information we have is preliminary," explained McGovern.
The only thing McGovern tells us he knows for sure is training is woefully inadequate.
"Everyone's protocols are different and that's part of the issue. I can tell you right now there's no law enforcement agency in this country that gets trained enough."
McGovern didn't want to speculate on why law enforcement waited so long Tuesday, only telling us how he was trained.
"Our goal is to get in and start a confrontation with that shooter, that's what we have to do. Because if that shooter is engaging us, he's not accessing other victims."