4th Grade Teacher Elsa Avila's Full Testimony in Uvalde School Shooting Trial

Teacher's Experience and Training

• 🍎 Elsa Avila, a fourth-grade teacher with 26 years of experience, details her employment history, including eight years at Robb Elementary.
• 🔒 She explains the Raptor system as an emergency alert app and defines a lockdown as a procedure to secure the school during a threat.
• 👮 Avila confirms annual training on lockdown procedures provided by police officers, recalling Ruben Ruiz as one of the trainers.
• 🧑‍🏫 Teachers were responsible for training students on lockdown drills, which occurred once per semester.

Lockdown Procedures and Protocols

• 🚪 During drills, administrators announced the end of the lockdown, but in a real situation, teachers were trained to remain hidden until law enforcement arrived and opened the doors.
• 🔑 Teachers were instructed not to open the door for anyone, even if they knocked, as law enforcement would have the keys.
• 🏫 Avila's classroom, number 109, had two windows on the east side and connected to room 110.
• 📅 May 24, 2022, was Awards Day, with a less structured schedule, and Avila returned to her classroom around 10:30 AM with most of her students.

The Incident Unfolds

• 👟 While preparing for a STEM shoe-making race outside at 11:30 AM, a student alerted Avila to Miss Deming's class running and screaming in the hallway.
• 🗣️ Upon opening her door to investigate, Avila heard a terrified female voice yelling, "Get in your rooms."
• 🚨 She immediately slammed her door shut, turned off the lights, and instructed her students to get down and stay quiet, recognizing it as a real threat.
• 💥 As students moved to a secure corner, they heard loud shots fired in the hallway, causing some students to cry.

Teacher Injured and Student Actions

• 🚶‍♀️ While directing students to a safer area away from the window, Avila stood up and was shot in her left side.
• 🩸 She felt a burning pain, realized she was shot, and fell to the floor, seeing blood when she removed her hand.
• 📱 Despite her injury, Avila crawled to find her phone and glasses to text for help, contacting her principal and other teachers.
• 🤫 She also noticed a student's phone flashing and, despite her own distress, reminded the students about the importance of staying quiet during a lockdown.

Evacuation and Aftermath

• 🆘 After what felt like an eternity of intermittent shots and then silence, police officers broke through the east windows to evacuate the students.
• 🤝 Avila, weakened and unable to climb out herself, was assisted by two officers who helped her through the window.
• 😥 Her worst fear was dying in front of her children and being unable to comfort them.
• 💪 She expressed immense pride in her students for following their training, staying quiet, and taking care of each other and her.
• 🏫 Avila retired due to PTSD but has since returned to teaching, finding joy and passion in being back in the classroom.

Cross-Examination and School Policies

• ❓ During cross-examination, Avila confirmed she did not recall the Raptor system activating during the incident.
• 🏃‍♀️ She acknowledged frequent lockdowns in the preceding months due to bailouts (individuals fleeing police).
• 🔒 Avila clarified the difference between a lockdown and a "secure in place" and confirmed that classroom doors were always locked as per school policy, especially due to the bailout incidents.
• 🚪 She explained that doors could be opened from the inside, and she had designated students to open the door for others using the restroom, a practice she implemented in her classroom.
• ⚠️ She perceived bailouts as a potential threat, fearing unauthorized persons entering the school or taking hostages.
• 🗣️ Avila confirmed hearing a female voice yelling "Get back in your rooms" and later heard officers communicating with the shooter.
• 🚪 She also confirmed that external building doors were supposed to be locked at all times, preventing unauthorized public access.