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00:00Police Chief Michael Kehoe and Captain Joe Rios arrived at Sandy Hook Elementary within minutes of the call.
00:09We needed to break into the school to get in because the back doors are secured.
00:14How did you get it open?
00:16Broke out the window.
00:17It was quiet and the halls were empty.
00:20Chief Kehoe searched Sandy Hook Elementary room by room.
00:25That means that the teachers had done their job, locked their doors, and hid their children from danger.
00:33So we made our way around the building to the front of the building.
00:37Tell me about that.
00:38That was a very tragic observation on all parts because then you could see the carnage that was present.
00:48When you saw what was in that classroom, what went through your mind?
00:53I was devastated, absolutely devastated.
00:56I had no words. I felt a little bit of anger towards the person who had done this.
01:04Did you think there was anyone there to save?
01:09No.
01:10As a first responder, how do you deal with that?
01:15Well, you feel a sense of guilt that you weren't there quick enough to do that.
01:22But I also know that our response stopped that threat where he was and he could not proceed any further.
01:33Outside the building, Captain Rios was overseeing the evacuation.
01:37It was miraculous. I kept seeing children come out of the building and I kept wanting more to come out and more.
01:45I walked in and it was horrific, the crime scene itself, and to see the adults and the children that were deceased in the classrooms.
02:01It was very hard, obviously, to comprehend what had happened.
02:07A year ago, Chief Kehoe read to a Sandy Hook kindergarten class.
02:11All 20 children killed were first graders.
02:14I may have read to some of these students that may have perished or not, and that kind of hit me hard.
02:20I know as part of that reading, I got to ask a lot of questions, and some of those questions were about their safety
02:28and why policemen come to school, and I know that maybe in some way we failed them.
02:36You feel guilty, you said earlier.
02:38I feel some sense of guilt. Deep down inside, I just believe that our job is to keep kids safe, especially in a learning environment.
02:48How would you respond to suggestions that having armed police officers in schools could prevent shootings?
02:56I don't think we want to arm police officers in every school.
03:02The Newtown Police Department already has three officers assigned to the school district,
03:08but Chief Kehoe says their primary role is community outreach.
03:12Jim?
03:13Elaine Kehano in Newtown, thank you.