Uvalde Shooting Police Were 'Cowards,' Says Teacher Who Survived

Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who was injured in the Robb Elementary school shooting on May 24, has criticized the police response to the incident.

Speaking to ABC's Amy Robach, he told his story about the shooting and how he did his best to protect the children of his class.

The interview, which was aired on Good Morning America on June 7, showed Reyes holding back tears multiple times as he explained how he was shot and his sorrow at the 19 children and two co-worker teachers that were killed.

Reyes also weighed in on the push for gun reform across America and said he felt "abandoned" by the Uvalde police, who have faced significant criticism for their inaction during the active shooter situation.

He called the local police "cowards for failing to act quickly, according to an ABC News report.

"After everything, I get more angry because you have a bullet-proof vest, I had nothing," he said. "You are supposed to protect and serve. There is no excuse for their actions and I will never forget them."

Reyes also confirmed that all 11 children in his classroom were killed after the shooter came in. He also issued a message to the parents of the tragedy.

"I got to thinking, this family lost one child, I lost 11 that day," he said. "I'm sorry, I tried my best, I did what I was told to do. Please don't be angry with me."

Reyes also called for changes to the law to prevent incidents similar to this in the future, rather than having more training for teachers to deal with the situation.

"It all happened too fast, training, no training, all kinds of training, nothing gets you ready for this," he said. "We trained our kids to sit under the table and that is what I thought of at the time. But we set them up to be like ducks. You can give us all the training that you want but laws have to change. Things won't change unless they change the laws."

Reyes closed by saying that he will not let the children and his co-workers die in vain and will work towards enacting change for them.

Reyes is not alone in his feelings about the police response to the shooting.

Pete Arredondo, the chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, has faced significant criticism for his actions during the shooting.

Arredondo reportedly prevented nearly two dozen officers from forcing their way into a classroom to confront the gunman.

The shooter fired more than 100 rounds with a military-style rifle. Arredondo reportedly made the call to wait for more resources before confronting the shooter.

Newsweek has reached out to the Uvalde Police Department for comment.