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Home / World

‘I don’t wanna die’: Uvalde student begs for help in heartbreaking new 911 audio

NZ Herald
2 Nov, 2022 08:35 PM3 mins to read

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Terrified 10-year-old Khloie Torres made it clear there were still survivors in the classrooms where they were trapped with cowardly gunman Salvador Ramos. Photo / AP / Family handout

Terrified 10-year-old Khloie Torres made it clear there were still survivors in the classrooms where they were trapped with cowardly gunman Salvador Ramos. Photo / AP / Family handout

Heartbreaking new audio has been released of an emergency call from a 10-year-old Uvalde student begging a Texas police dispatcher to “please hurry” because “I don’t want to die” after a mass shooter had stormed her classroom and murdered 19 students and two teachers.

Despite the call, it took police 40 minutes before they stormed the classroom to take out the mass shooter.

The terrified Khloie Torres was heard whispering to the dispatcher “there has been a school shooting” while she was trapped inside a room with the gunman who slaughtered 19 of her classmates and two teachers.

In the call, Khloie is heard saying: “I’m in classroom … 112. Please hurry. There is a lot of dead bodies … Please send help,” she begged at least three times while trapped.

“Please get help. I don’t wanna die. My teacher is dead. Oh, my God,” she pleaded, according to the harrowing report.

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Injured classmates could be heard in the background crying for help. The brave student can be heard trying to keep them quiet in a bid to protect them from being killed.

“I know how to handle these situations — my dad taught me when I was a little girl,” she said, an admission no 10-year-old child should have to make.

Two minutes into the call, Khloie is heard saying: “Send help — some of my teachers are still alive, but they’re shot.”

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Trapped pupil Khloie Torres, 10, made at least three 911 calls, repeatedly begging for help for 40 minutes before cops finally came in. Photo / Family handout
Trapped pupil Khloie Torres, 10, made at least three 911 calls, repeatedly begging for help for 40 minutes before cops finally came in. Photo / Family handout

At one point, she bravely asks: “You want me to open the door now?”

The dispatcher relayed the youngster’s desperate pleas to officers, making clear that the room they remained outside of was “full of victims”. “The child is advising she is in in the room full of victims, full of victims at this moment.”

That message still did not force police to act.

More than seven minutes into the call the girl begged to know where the police were. Sadly, they were standing outside the door waiting. Police believed the shooter was contained.

But Khloie’s call revealed he was in fact an active shooter.

More than 400 police officers arrived at the scene but failed to rescue Khloie and her injured and dying friends.

Her calls started 40 minutes before cops waiting in hallways and outside Robb elementary finally stormed in to help. Photo / AP
Her calls started 40 minutes before cops waiting in hallways and outside Robb elementary finally stormed in to help. Photo / AP

Cops did not storm the room until at least 40 minutes after a call for help, and 77 minutes after 19-year-old shooter Salvador Ramos started his slaughter.

One of the shot teachers called her school-police husband to say she was dying. However, he was prevented from rushing in to rescue her and the students. She was one of two teachers who died.

During her ordeal, Khloie made three separate 911 calls, clearly confused as to why help had not arrived — with the final one catching the gunshots as officers finally stormed in and shot dead Ramos, CNN said.

Khloie survived the attack.

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The terrified 10-year-old made it clear there were still survivors in the classrooms where they were trapped with cowardly gunman Salvador Ramos. Photo / AP
The terrified 10-year-old made it clear there were still survivors in the classrooms where they were trapped with cowardly gunman Salvador Ramos. Photo / AP

Her father, former Marine Ruben Torres, praised his daughter’s calm actions and hit out at police for their inaction.

“That day, the things that she did were absolutely incredible.”

As for the police, he said: “None of them had courage that day.”

Her mother, Jamie Torres, said it hurt to know Khloie called and still waited that long for help.

“All the kids didn’t have backup in there. Nobody had armour in there,” she told CNN This Morning.

“They went through a lot, and they had absolutely no help from police.”

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The police response — or lack of it — has sparked mass outrage as well as multiple investigations.


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