Uvalde officer seen checking phone in surveillance footage is husband of teacher killed in massacre

Officer had tried to save his wife but was barred by other officers from doing so and had his gun taken away, according to report

A Uvalde police officer seen in surveillance video checking his phone is the husband of one of the teachers killed in the Robb Elementary School massacre, according to a Texas lawmaker.

Police have been heavily criticised for the time that it took to storm the classroom and take down the gunman, who killed 19 students and two teachers in the mass shooting.

Following the release of hallway video footage from the day of the attack, the officer seen using his phone has been subject of additional criticism.

State Representative Joe Moody identified him as Uvalde CISD Officer Ruben Ruiz, whose wife Eva Mireles called him from inside the classroom to say that she had been shot and was dying.

Mr Moody is part of a Texas House committee that has spent weeks investigating the 24 May shooting and plans to release its report on Sunday.

“I’d not planned to speak publicly until the report was released, but I couldn’t say nothing seeing this man, who’s lost everything, maligned as if he was indifferent or actively malicious. Context matters,” Mr Moody tweeted.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw has called the police response to the massacre an “abject failure”.

Law enforcement officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman as they held back outside the classroom for additional weaponry and resources.

Col. McCraw has said that Ruiz tried to save his wife but was barred by other officers at the scene.

“What happened to (Ruiz) is he tried to move forward into the hallway, he was detained and they took his gun away from him and they escorted him from the scene,” Col McCraw told lawmakers at a hearing on 21 June.

A border patrol tactical unit eventually stormed the classroom and took down the gunman.