A Uvalde funeral worker says police blocked him as he tried to enter Robb Elementary to stop the gunman: report

• A Uvalde man said police prevented him from going into Robb Elementary to stop the gunman.
• The funeral attendant, Cody Briseno, told NBC News an officer told him to move away.

A Uvalde, Texas funeral attendant said police blocked him from entering Robb Elementary to stop the gunman during last month's deadly shooting, NBC News reported.

Cody Briseno, who buried some of the victims — including a family member — who were killed during the shooting May 24 that left 19 children and two adults dead, was reportedly armed at the scene that day and wanted to go after the gunman. He told NBC News that a responding officer prevented him from going inside the elementary school.

"I told him that he's already inside the school," Briseno said, per the outlet, adding that the officer allegedly told him to move away and "shut up."

In the days following the shooting, local authorities have faced sharp criticism for not immediately confronting the shooter, a move that the state's Public Safety head Steven C. McCraw said "was not the right decision." Parents pleaded with law enforcement to go inside the building, and some tried to enter themselves as officers pushed them back.

Prior to the shooting, police said the gunman shot his grandmother and then crashed his truck right outside the school that morning. According to NBC News, Briseno said that he and his coworker witnessed the gunman crawl out of the window following the crash.

"We locked eyes, and he gave me this vibe," Briseno told the outlet. "At that moment, he looks right back to me ... with that evil look, and I see is this rifle."

Briseno added that the gunman pointed his firearm toward them and eventually started shooting, prompting them to run into the funeral home for safety, the outlet reported. He detailed the moment he then saw the gunman go toward the school with his weapon.

The gunman, who officials said purchased an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle on his birthday in early May, was eventually fatally shot at the scene. The incident was the deadliest mass shooting at a K-12 school since Sandy Hook in 2012.