A child who survived the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas has shared the harrowing details of what happened when the gunman walked into his classroom.
“He came in and he crouched a little bit and he said, ‘It’s time to die,’” the anonymous fourth-grade boy told KENS5.
On Tuesday, 19 children and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Robb Elementary School. Authorities say the suspected shooter, Salvador Ramos, 18, also died after being shot by police.
On Wednesday, the unnamed fourth-grader – whose parents hid his identity for his safety – recalled hiding under a table with a long tablecloth, which may have concealed him from the gunman and saved his life.
“When I heard the shooting through the door, I told my friend to hide under something so he won’t find us,” the boy told the news station. “I was hiding hard. And I was telling my friend to not talk because he is going to hear us.”
The horrifying details come as Americans grapple with yet another mass shooting, this time the deadliest school massacre since 2012, when 26 people were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.
Even after police came, the child recalled, he and his classmates were still not safe. In fact, the killing continued.
“When the cops came, the cop said, ‘Yell if you need help!’” he said. “And one of the persons in my class said ‘Help.’ The guy overheard and he came in and shot her.”
At that point, the massacre finally met its bloody conclusion.
“The cop barged into that classroom,” the fourth-grader remembered. “The guy shot at the cop. And the cops started shooting.”
Governor Greg Abbott has said three police officers were wounded in the standoff, but are now recovering. Ramos was killed at the scene.
Meanwhile, children like the boy who spoke to KENS5 are left with the trauma of watching their classmates die.
“I would like to say to every kid and parent to be safe,” he said.
