How elite Border Patrol units took down Uvalde school shooter Salvador Ramos

The Border Patrol agents that stormed the Robb Elementary School classroom where the mass shooter had barricaded himself were members of an elite tactical Border Patrol unit stationed in Uvalde, reports The Wall Street Journal.

“Without hesitation, [the Border Patrol agents] put themselves between the shooter and students to end the bloodshed and administer medical aid,” Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

“Their heroism yesterday saved lives.”

The Border Patrol Tactical Unit, or BORTAC for short, is a unit of about 240 people who take on Customs and Border Patrol’s most dangerous work, like tracking human-smuggling networks and raiding suspected smuggler safehouses.

The SWAT-like unit is trained in small unit tactics, advanced weapons skills and other components of military special operations.

BORTAC is based in Del Rio but a small number were stationed with the 150 or so CBP agents assigned to Uvalde, about one hour to the east.

Those agents heard a call on local police radio Tuesday about the school shooting. The shooter, identified as 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, had locked himself in a room after encountering three police officers at Robb Elementary, reported CNN.

The BORTAC agents drove quickly to the school and donned their tactical gear – helmets, vests and shields – they stowed with their cars. About 80 Border Patrol agents total responded to the call and rushed to the school, reports WSJ.

The unit could not force themselves into the classroom due to its steel door and cinder block construction, so they got a master key from the school principal, according to law enforcement officials.

Ramos fired upon the three BORTAC agents who entered, said the WSJ source. One was injured while another was protected by his tactical shield. The third shot and killed the suspect.

Inside, authorities found “dead children in piles,” said WSJ. A total of 19 children and two teachers have died.

The Wall Street Journal notes that Border Patrol agents often respond to all nearby emergencies, even if they are not related to the border. For example, CBP were among the first to respond to the 2019 mass shooting at an El Paso Walmart.