tuesday, but the gunman was not killed until just after 1 p.m. initially the texas department of public safety said the resource officer at the school fired at the gunman but steve mcgraw, director of the texas dps said he did not. it was a brave, independent school district resource officer that approached him, engaged him. at that time gun fire was not, changed. confronted him. he followed him right in immediately. so if this version of events is accurate, that means an armed school officer responsible for the safety of the children and teachers inside saw a man dressed in tactical gear carrying an assault rifle and did not use force to stop him from entering the school and killing 19 children and two of their teachers. nbc news reached out to texas dps for comment previously. the director said the gunman was engaged, quote, immediately and that two officers were wounded. inside the school a teacher heard gunshot as end of year celebrations were in full swing. speaking
around something like that. this is the last photo he has of his baby girl posing proudly with her certificate, however before the shooting. i just want to honor her name, who she was. i don t want to disappoint my daughter. i want to live and make her happy and keep her memory alive. ellie garcia s mother jennifer is still reeling, too devastated to even speak, clutching her last mother s day gift from her little girl, a jar ellie made for her mother s prayers. her parents say she had a strong faith and was excited about reading a verse for church this sunday. jesus is here for us. when we die, we ll be up there for him. she s a big part of our family. always has been, always will be.
longest day ever. it was the longest day ever. steven garcia and jennifer lugo remembering their little girl ellie as they try to process her senseless death. sweetest little girl you would ever meet. next week would have been ellie s 10th birthday. she was looking forward to having a pool party to celebrate. i told her we were going to have a party and her face just lit up. and that was the last time i saw her. hey, guys ellie loved basketball and tiktok and the colors pink and purple. she wanted to be a cheerleader. a little girl who lit up every
room in every picture. he loved to dance, have fun, she loved ramen noodles. ellie and her sister, one year apart, were inseparable. the little ones don t understand she s not coming home. and she was loved by her grandparents, who spent most weekends doting on them. reporter: her grandparents still struggling with what happened. she wanted to come home. she said, no, stay in school. try to get smart. so she stayed. this is the result that we got.