♪ this is "nightline." >> tonight, bombshell revelations. why it took 77 minutes to stop the gunman and his rampage. >> of course it was not the right decision, it was the wrong decision, period. >> officials admitting a string of failures. terrified children calling 911 while officers stood outside in the hallway. >> i was playing dead so he wouldn't shoot me. >> the grieving and angry families. >> a gunman in a room for an hour. to me, that boggles my mind. >> what more could have been done to save lives? >> our baby's gone. we can't hold her no more. this is the only way we hold her, a picture. >> maria elena salinas is on the ground in uvalde, texas.

"grey's anatomy." >> these residents aren't the only ones that need to reset. >> the 400th episode, a major milestone for the hit medical drama that has tackled plenty of controversial top picks. >> it was a hate crime, wasn't it? >> five-time emmy nominee chanda wilson was there from the beginning. now her biggest plot twist. >> you're one of three original cast members.

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♪ thanks for joining us. "mistakes were made." that blunt admission from law enforcement and a series of new revelations about the massacre at robb elementary. our reporter maria elena salinas has spent days in uvalde with grieving families, still processing these latest devastating developments. >> we're here to report the facts as we know them now. >> reporter: a stunning admission from the head of public safety in texas. >> from the benefit of hindsight, where i'm sitting now, of course it was not the right decision, it was the wrong decision, period. >> reporter: authorities saying mistakes were made in response to the gunman who stormed robb elementary. >> we believe there should have been entry as soon as they can. >> reporter: that gunman killing 21 people, including 19 children, the second deadliest massacre of its kind in american history.

77 harrowing minutes passed from the time the shooter entered the school to the moment law enfocement fatally shot him. now we know why. >> on-scene commander considered it a barricaded subject and that there was time and there were no more children at risk. obviously -- obviously, you know, based upon the information we have, there were children in that classroom that were at risk, and it was, in fact, still an active shooter situation, and not a barricaded subject. >> reporter: the chief of the uvalde police department, the commander on scene, wrongly declared the incident had transitioned away from an active shooting and stopped first responders from engaging the gunman. but actually, inside classrooms 111 and 112, multiple desperate 911 calls were made by those trapped by the shooter. students still alive, in grave danger, pleading for help. >> at 12:10. she called back. in room 112, advise, multiple dead. 12:16, she called back. eight to nine students alive.

12:21. you could hear over the 911 call three shots were fired. >> the fact that we had calls going into 911, the fact that we had shots that were continuing to ring out while the officers were on scene, the fact that the officers were not in contact with the shooter. it's unclear to me how anyone could make a decision that this was a barricaded suspect situation. it appears that we have a very serious miscalculation of the situation by the incident commander. >> reporter: it was a teacher who left the school door propped open when she went to retrieve a phone. police say six minutes later, the gunman walking in that open door. he heads to two connected classrooms, firing over 100 rounds. just after noon, there were 19 officers in that hallway. border patrol finally reached the classroom at 12:50. investigators found the gunman had brought over 1,000 rounds of

ammunition to the school. governor abbott had previously praised the police reaction. >> it could have been worse. the reason it was not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do. >> reporter: but in a press conference today, he pivoted. >> i was misled. i am livid about what happened. my expectation is that the law enforcement leaders that are leading the investigations, which includes the texas rangers and the fbi, they get to the bottom of every fact with absolute certainty. >> reporter: the texas department of public safety saying today they are launching a review of law enforcement actions. >> they're going to take a hard look at the initial response. current protocols for active shooter responses call for the first officers on scene to immediately make entry to engage with the suspect and to

neutralize the threat posed by that suspect. that did not occur in this situation. the families of the victims and the rest of the community, they deserve to know why it didn't occur. >> reporter: families like the parents of lexi ruglio. >> she's quiet, shy. when she had a point she wanted made, she made it. she was always right. >> would have made a good lawyer. >> yeah, she wanted to be a lawyer. >> reporter: felix and kimberly replay their last moments with their daughter, who received awards for good citizen and honor roll that very morning. >> i keep going over that. because we always pick up our kids after such ceremonies, they always want to leave early. if i could go back. if i could go back, we'd be telling a different story.

we'd be sitting here with you saying, thank god she came home. >> reporter: a sheriff's deputy raced to robb elementary to find his daughter. he was inside the school as officers confronted the alleged shooter. >> i see where everybody's posted at. in front of my baby girl's door. once i see them open the door, open fire -- i just -- my heart drops. >> when did you find out about your daughter? >> they told us. they let us know. >> the most difficult moment of your life? >> yeah. >> i can imagine. >> our baby's gone. we can't hold her no more. this is the only way we hold her, a picture. that's the only way we hold her. >> reporter: the family choosing not to meet with governor greg abbott, taking a stand for what they say their daughter believed in. >> what was the decision on gun control? >> the same as me and her dad. there's no -- there's no reason for just the average citizen to

have these type of weapons. what for? what do you need them for? like, is it worth my kid? these kids? >> anybody else's kids? >> it just keeps happening. i would like to say this is it, but nobody else seems to feel the same way. >> reporter: in pain but wanting the world to know the joy her 9-year-old granddaughter, ellie garcia, brought to their lives. >> hey, guys. >> reporter: ellie was an avid tiktok user. >> reporter: she and her grandmother spent every weekend together. how do you deal with this tragedy as a family?

>> reporter: ellie's relatives also grieving and still processing. >> i can sense that the grief and the pain in the family and the community -- are you angry now? >> there's this anger. what could have been different? a gunman in a room for an hour. to me, that just -- that boggles my mind. that's unacceptable. >> reporter: do you think your sense of security has been shattered in uvalde? >> i feel it has been shattered. i feel like parents are asking the question, you know, where was that security? i just feel like everybody's at

a loss for words right now. >> if they come for one of us, they come for all of us! >> reporter: nearly 300 miles away from uvalde, hundreds of frustrated antigun protesters demonstrated right outside where the national rifle association, the largest and most powerful gun rights group in the u.s., held its annual meeting. >> you need to understand that you are complicit in this if you are not speaking out against it. >> reporter: inside the conference, speakers like texas senator ted cruz and former president donald trump. >> the existence of evil is one of the very best reasons to arm law-abiding citizens. >> this is her softball picture from this year. >> reporter: back in uvalde, lexi's parents filled with regret, still thinking about how they didn't take her home after the awards ceremony. there was several law enforcement agencies at the scene, from beginning to end. and we hear now that they didn't make the right decisions. how do you feel about that? what have you heard about that? >> i have enough what-ifs on my end. so -- not interested in reading

about somebody else's mistakes, because i already have to live with my own. >> you didn't make any mistakes. >> it wasn't done on purpose, but it's still -- it's still a mistake. because i made it. otherwise, she'd be home with me. i left my baby at that school. >> our thanks to maria elena. we'll keep you up to date on the developments in texas. up next, "grey's anatomy" celebrating a major milestone. 400 episodes. why one of the original cast members says the show is still going strong after 18 seasons.

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get started with a great deal on internet and voice for just $49.99 a month for 24 months with a 2 -year price guarantee. call today. ♪ it's the medical drama that for nearly 20 years we haven't been able to get enough of. "grey's anatomy" made history with its 400th episode last night. it ended with a big cliffhanger. our deborah roberts sat down with one of the ogs of "grey's," chandra wilson, better known as dr. bailey.

>> it's been a wonderful playing ground for being able to tell human stories that are funny, that are sad, that allows the audiences to escape in us. >> these residents aren't the only ones that need to reset. this whole hospital needs to remember why we're here. >> reporter: for 18 seasons, abc's "grey's anatomy" has been that getaway, captivating multiple generations of viewers with heart-pounding action and heart-breaking romance. >> pick me. choose me. love me. >> reporter: now a new milestone. the 400th episode airing this week in a two-hour season finale. >> you're going to shut us down? >> reporter: tv's longest-running primetime melodrama, and one star has seen it all unfold.

you're one of three original cast members. >> the ogs. >> the ogs. five-time emmy nominee shonda wilson plays the sharp-tongued -- >> this is a "we" problem, not a "me" problem. >> reporter: tough-loving -- >> see that, baby girl? that is reclaiming your power. >> reporter: dr. miranda bailey, who's fought hard for her dream of becoming the first black female chief of surgery at grey sloan memorial hospital. >> bailey is tough on the outside, but you've allowed us to see glimpses of her vulnerabilities and the warmth. is that why you think audiences take to her? >> because we are multifaceted people. it would have been easy for her to be left in a one-dimensional place. but she's revealed herself to the audiences now, and they know, okay, no, that's a person. that's somebody i know. that's somebody that's gone through the same things that i've gone through. >> it was a hate crime, wasn't it? >> reporter: powerful social commentary is a hallmark of the show. >> we are americans. your faces are american. >> reporter: this year, dr.

bailey struggles with her mental health. >> this program, it's failing. i feel like i'm feeling. first female chief and it's on her, it's always on her. >> this season, bailey is burning out. >> i am taking a vacation. day. maybe two. because i'm not good to you like this. >> like a lot of hospital administrators, she's losing staffmembers. >> wong, look, the hospital, the country, we're in dire need of physicians. >> miranda. truthfully, it's just not fun anymore. >> the physicians that are leaving for various reasons, right? especially all of the influence of covid, and people change, right? we ebb, we flow, we change our priorities. and now she's got little pru in her life. >> happy place. >> yes, happy place. >> she's always wanted a baby girl. that doesn't mean that her love for surgery goes away. it just means that it changes a little bit. and we should be allowed to do that as human beings.

>> i'm 13 years old. and i have nothing to harm you. >> reporter: over the years there were episodes about racial injustice. >> that's good, baby. you always have to show the police where your hands are, always say what you're doing before you do it. >> your character talks to her son. has "the talk." >> yes. >> i have a son. you have a son. that really resonated with me, watching that episode. what was that like for you? >> the thing that i hate so much about the fact that we have to have this talk is i feel like i am then participating in breaking my child's heart, in a way. and so you want to put it off as long as you can. but you can't. it's like, the innocence stops for your kid. >> reporter: from the beginning, "grey's anatomy" broke the mold. my colleague juju chang gathering the cast in 2019.

>> i remember being gobsmacked by it when it first came on. i thought, the asian lady, the black dude, the other black dude, they're all kind of equals in this world? >> reporter: that inclusion is something cast members take pride in. >> grace wasn't part of the storyline, it was just, oh, the chief surgeon is black, and she's a lesbian, and this patient is transgendered. they were just people in the world. >> reporter: the stars all credit creator shonda rhimes, who left abc for netflix. 15 years ago, shonda planted a flag and set a bar that was quite high. >> i don't care what anybody says, she changed the game. >> reporter: and behind the camera, the show walks the talk. promoting 33 female directors, including chandra, who directed her 23rd episode. >> did you imagine that? and how is that important, not just representing in front of the camera but behind? >> i never thought of that at all. but season 4 the producers reached out, we think you need

to direct. i didn't know that no was an option. okay! >> "grey's anatomy" has shone a light on strong women characters in particular, with complexities in their lives. is that what you think is the secret sauce? >> the biggest staying power is our audiences truly enjoy and get invested in the characters. it's interesting when you say strong women. because it's very difficult for me to see any woman as not strong. living in your skin, living in your sexuality, getting up every day and going outside takes whatever your measure of strength is. >> reporter: as for her evolution, chandra says she owes it to the leading lady in her real life, her mother. >> my mom was a young mother. she had me at 17. i did dance classes on tuesdays and thursdays at howard pritchard school of dance. acting class on mondays, wednesdays, fridays at theater of the stars. >> she saw something in you? >> she wanted to keep me busy. i don't know what she saw, but i

had to be busy so that i wasn't pregnant at 17. that's the goal. that was it. >> reporter: now a mom of three herself and prepping for her 19th season on "grey's anatomy," chandra wilson says she's as content as she's ever been. what would you tell that young chandra wilson just starting on the show 18 seasons ago, based on what you know now? >> girl, take your time. right? again, i just wanted the pilot check so i could pay my credit card bills. and everything else is icing on the cake. so just enjoy that moment. i would love to be there on the last scene of the last episode, last piece of dialogue. i would love that to be my story. >> because we have seen actors come and go on that program. >> yeah, and that is perfectly fine. >> you plan to be there? >> that's my plan.

until, you know, somebody tells me otherwise. >> our thanks to deborah. the 18th season of "grey's anatomy" is now streaming on hulu. coming up, former president obama's heartwarming reunion with the young man from this iconic photo. ♪ we could walk forever ♪ ( ♪♪ ) ♪ walking on ♪ ♪ walking on the moon ♪ ♪ some ♪ ♪ may say ♪ ♪ i'm wishing my days away ♪ ♪ no way ♪

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♪ finally tonight, a reunion 13 years in the making. >> it's barack obama, man. do you remember me? >> jake in philadelphia was 5 years old when he visited the oval office in 2009 with his family. >> he's kind of standing there looking at me for a second. he says, "is your hair like

mine?" i go, "well -- do you want to check and see?" then white house photographer pete souza snapped the now iconic photo called "hair like mine" which became a symbol for the power of representation. today jacob is heading to the university of memphis in the fall to study political science. that's "nightline." you can watch all our full episodes on hulu. we'll see you right back here same time monday. thanks for staying up with us. good night, america. happy memorial day weekend.