making reporter: this is nbc nightly news with lester holt good evening it goes against every fiber in our being, having to bury our own children parents in uvalde, texas now facing that grim reality, beginning to lay their children to rest in a world no safer today than it was a week ago when their children became victims of mass murder this holiday weekend, nine people were killed and more than 60 hurt in mass shootings across the u.s. overall, at least 156 died by gun violence hundreds left wounded. but in the tiny texas town of uvalde, still mourning the 19 children and two adults who were ruthlessly murdered last tuesday, we re still learning about the timeline and what officers did or didn t do to try to save them but today s focus, the first of 21 funerals celebrating the lives lost our morgan chesky is there. reporter: tonight heartbreak hitting home, with hundreds saying final goodbyes. you feel sad, man, it hits you hard reporter: 21 funerals over the ne
states will in fact send advance rocket systems to the war-torn country. we ll have more on what changed the president s mind there. along with joe and mika, we ve got mike barnicle and elise jordan and the former chairman of the republican national committee michael steele. we will begin in texas, where the official account has changed again, about how the gunman who killed 19 children and their two teachers entered that school in uvalde. last friday, you ll rememberer the director of the department of public safety said a teacher had propped open a door through which the gunman entered the school. well, now, the agency said the teacher had come back to close the door but it just failed to lock. this new account comes after an attorney for the teacher told the san antonio express news the teacher did prop open the door using a rock to carry food from her car into the school. when she saw the gunman crash his car into a ditch, she went back inside to get her phone to report t
days this is not a criminal investigation. there s no allegation of criminal wrongdoing in this case gross incompetence, maybe, failure to follow training, maybe. reporter: back in the memorial, uvalde fourth grader isaac perez, sending his schoolmates a message on the sidewalk. they ll be missed by their friends reporter: you re going to miss them too, huh yeah. morgan, if i can, let me circle back to the investigation. where does it stand? is there new information? reporter: lester, there is tonight, texas dps tells me tha pete arredondo, the school s police of chief, initially cooperated with authorities and provided a statement after the shooting but two days ago texas rangers requested a followup interview and as of right now he has yet to respond, lester morgan chesky tonight, thank you cities across the country have been reeling from gun violence in just the past week there were more than a dozen more mass shootings in america just over this long holiday weeken
a door to the school propped open. a door was propped open by a teacher. reporter: but the texas department of public safety telling nbc news the teacher closed the door after there was a shooter on campus but the door didn t lock. the justice department is expected to begin its review. there s no allegation of criminal wrongdoing, gross incompetence, maybe failure to follow training maybe. reporter: back at the memorial, uvalde fourth grader isaac perez sending his school mates on the sidewalk. they ll be missed by their friends. 10-year-olds laid to rest. morgan chesky reporting there. the school police chief is being blamed for telling officers to stay back now has been sworn into the city council. the city s mayor announced pete arrendondo along with other members have officially taken oath of office. the mayor said a swearing in