Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Joshua Seftel, Netflix’s ‘All the Empty Rooms’ is a poignant and unique short documentary that sheds light on the epidemic of school shootings in the US. After all, it follows journalists Steve Hartman and Lou Bopp as they document the bedrooms of every single one of those students who have lost their lives in such mass incidents since 1999. Amongst them was Jacklyn “Jackie” Jaylen Cazares, who sadly died at the tender age of 9 on May 24, 2022, in the extremely violent Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Jacklyn “Jackie” Cazares Lost Her Life Alongside Her Classmates
It was on June 10, 2012, when Jacklyn “Jackie” Jaylen Cazares was born to Gloria and Javier Cazares as the youngest of their three children, so she grew up surrounded by affection. In fact, according to her family, she had the unwavering love and support of not only her grandparents and parents, but also her siblings, Johnathan Hernandez and Jazmin Cazares. Therefore, she was very confident in who she was and knew the career she wanted to pursue, even when her priorities included spending time with loved ones or creating TikTok videos.
Since Jackie was deeply passionate about animals, she yearned to become a veterinarian one day – to such an extent that she didn’t even consider pursuing another field. The Uvalde, Texas, native had a bright future ahead of her, yet everything turned upside down on May 24, 2022, when she was in her fourth-grade classroom 111 at Robb Elementary School. It was around 11:33 am when someone entered the building heavily armed, shortly following which they shot and killed all 11 students in room 111, many in adjoining room 112, as well as two teachers.
The Perpetrator of the Robb Elementary School Shooting Was an Alumnus
According to official records, the entire ordeal began at approximately 11:00 am am on the fateful morning at the Uvalde house that 18-year-old Salvador Ramos shared with his 66-year-old grandmother. They had reportedly gotten into an argument about him flunking out of high school, which drove him to grab one of the firearms he had legally purchased a short while prior and shoot her in the face. While she subsequently managed to grasp the attention of neighbors, who immediately contacted emergency services before ensuring she received the necessary medical aid, he fled the scene in her vehicle.
It has been reported that Salvador had used his Facebook account three times during this period, sending private messages about his actions to a 15-year-old girl from Germany he had met online a year prior. His first text conveyed he was planning on shooting his grandmother, whereas his second was an update on the same, but his third was the most chilling as he said he was going to open fire at his former school. However, the girl’s only response was “cool,” which is why she was eventually found guilty of one count of “failing to report planned crimes” in her homeland, for which she was handed probation.
As for Salvador, as per reports, he crashed his grandmother’s truck into a barricade outside Robb Elementary at 11:28 am before leaving it in a ditch while scaling the fence to enter school grounds. In all black clothing, he had in his possession a backpack, a tactical vest, two rifles, and several magazines of live rounds, but he ultimately decided to leave one of the weapons behind in the vehicle. What ensued was his entering into the building through its west doors – they were supposed to be locked, but the latch hadn’t worked – following which he opened fire in adjoining fourth-grade rooms 111 and 112.
Salvador Ramos Was Eventually Killed By Law Enforcement
According to records, Salvador primarily remained in these classrooms, having managed to find a way in through more faulty latches, only to reign terror on the students as well as the teachers inside. Not only did he empty several rounds in the small space to make sure he hit everyone, but he also allegedly tortured his victims by hurting them in various ways under the belief they were dead. As per a surviving teacher, he threw out a slew of verbal abuse, stomped on their heads as well as arms, spat on them, and scooped up blood to write “LOL” on the chalkboard before flinging the rest back towards them.
Salvador reportedly left classrooms 111 and 112 for a brief period when he heard students in classroom 109, but he failed to breach the door, as the teacher had managed to jam it shut. He shot through the window before returning to adjoining rooms, where he remained for a total of 75-77 minutes, until law enforcement finally arrived to confront him. The Marshals Service, as well as the Border Patrol, which ultimately took over the case from local officials, entered the school at around 12:50 pm and used the janitor’s master key to unlock the room where the 18-year-old was located. Salvador was allegedly hiding in a closet by that point, so the moment he heard footsteps near him, he kicked the door open and opened fire at the agents, resulting in them shooting back.
The teenager was shot and killed at the scene to neutralize any threats, only for this rather swift work to raise several criticisms of the local police officers’ handling of the entire ordeal. It turned out the latter allegedly had several possible opportunities to confront, stop, or prevent the shooter from taking as many lives as he did – 21 in total; 19 students and 2 teachers – yet, it was reported that they failed. In fact, when an official investigation was conducted, the final report asserted, “law enforcement responders failed… to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety… There was an unacceptably long period of time before officers breached the classroom, neutralized the attacker, and began rescue efforts.” As a result, several officials were fired or criminally indicted.
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