Who is Ed Chelby? Pic of army vet dad guarding Texas school after Uvalde shooting goes viral
An army veteran who was deeply affected by the deadly Uvalde shooting was seen standing guard in front of his daughter’s Texas elementary school in viral photos. The father, Ed Chelby, reportedly got in touch with Killeen Independent School District officials and asked if he could stand unarmed in front of Saegert Elementary School. Chelby wanted to stand guard while class was in session before summer break began for the students.
A deadly massacre unfolded at Robb Elementary school in Uvalde on May 24 when 18-year-old Salvador Ramos barricaded himself inside a classroom and slaughtered 19 students and two teachers. Police have faced sharp criticism for allegedly failing to stop the shooting quickly enough and come to the victims' rescue on time. In fact, a victim bled to death as she waited for police to come to the rescue, a first-responder allegedly told her mother. The child reportedly waited for nearly an hour for cops to arrive, but eventually succumbed to her injuries possibly because of the delay. The first-responder reportedly claimed her child may have lived if the police had been quicker. It was reported that they did not breach the school for more than 90 minutes after arriving on the campus where Salvador Ramos was ruthlessly killing the children.
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Who is Ed Chelby?
Chelby's Instagram profile says he is an 'Adventurer Veteran Athlete', and a father, husband and warrior. Chelby was in the Army for 11 years and has a security background. Unable to sleep after the Uvalde shooting, he contacted Killeen Independent School District officials and was given permission to stand guard.
"I said I would just be out there unarmed to let people know that I’m watching,” Chelby told KWTX. “Let the parents have a little bit of relief.” “I’ve had a lot of emotional people come up to me,” he added. "“They didn’t want to send their kids to school. They struggled with sending their kids to school. And I told them, I was like, ‘I got them.’"
A viral photo shows Chelby standing near the front doors of the school, with sunglasses on and his hands in his pockets. Chelby's wife is reportedly a school volunteer. “I can’t let this go,” said Chelby. “This is just a testament to the sleeplessness caused by the grief I experienced.” The photo, that Chelby posted on Instagram, is captioned, "“Each child’s death diminishes me, for I am involved in mankind, therefore, send not to know for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for thee”".
Saegert Elementary is around a four-hour drive from Uvalde's Robb Elementary School. The viral photo of Chelby was taken by Samantha Longfeather-Locke, a mother of a student at the school, who said it was "reassuring" to see Chelby standing there. “The world needed to know what he was doing because I feel that, that’s sparking some sort of change to start,” she said.
Saegert Elementary Principal Eli Lopez told Newsweek, "A child should never have to worry for their safety as they come in to school and Mr. Chelby helped ensure that sense of security the last two days of school after a horrific tragedy."
Chelby's effort prompted a veteran mother to offer to watch the back of the school, and more parents to volunteer to guard the school next year. “We all struggle with that. You don’t know if you should send your kid to school. You want them to get their education and their experience of the last days of school, but you want to protect them with everything you got,” Chelby said.