4th grader survives Texas shooting by smearing blood on herself, playing dead

HOUSTON, Texas

A fourth-grader survived the massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas by covering herself with a classmate’s blood and playing dead.

The shooter killed 19 children and two adults on Tuesday.

Miah Cerillo, 11, told CNN she was watching a movie with classmates when the shooter came to the room, saying “He made eye contact with the teacher… looked her right in the eye and said 'goodnight' and then shot her and killed her."

Cerillo said she was afraid the gunman would come back after killing her teacher and fellow classmates, so she put her hand in her friend’s blood and smeared it all over herself to appear dead.

The police response to the gruesome shooting sparked anger.

Police admitted on Friday they made the “wrong decision” by failing to storm the classroom right away when the 18-year-old gunman started his rampage.

"If I thought it would help, I would apologize," Col. Steven McCraw of the Texas Department of Public Safety said during a news conference.

McCraw confirmed there was a 40-minute gap from the time police arrived to when they actually entered the classroom.

“They said they rushed in and all that, we didn’t see that,” said Javier Cazares, whose daughter was killed in the massacre.

“There were plenty of men out there armed to the teeth that could have gone in faster… just standing out there,” he said. “This could have been over in a couple of minutes. More kids would have been saved”.

The fallout from the deadly mass shooting comes as the National Rifle Association is going ahead with its annual convention in Houston.

Several planned speakers and performers have withdrawn from the event, citing they did not feel it was appropriate to attend.

“In light of the recent events in Texas, I have decided it would be disrespectful and hurtful for me to perform for the NRA,” musician Don McLean said in an interview.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who angered critics by attending a fundraiser the night of the shooting, is skipping the conference in order to visit Uvalde. However, Abbott will still address convention-goers with a pre-recorded video message.

Abbott’s Democratic opponent for governor, Beto O’Rourke, is planning to participate in a rally against gun violence outside the convention grounds.