OAN’s Taylor Tinsley
2:22 PM – Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Newly released surveillance footage captured the moment terrified kids ran from a transgender sex offender who allegedly tried to kidnap one of them.
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Soloman Galligan was arrested for sneaking onto Black Forest Hills Elementary in Aurora, Colorado, to allegedly kidnap a child last week.
In the footage, Galligan can be seen approaching the children during recess before he attempts to grab a boy and falls, causing them to all scream and run away.
Families of the children laid eyes on the footage for the first time Monday, while they met with district leaders.
Dante White, one of the parents of the kids involved in the incident, said it was hard to watch.
“We hope that children embellish a little bit, but the footage there showed exactly what was stated,” said White said.
Following the meeting, parents said they were left less than satisfied.
“They (district leaders) said no decisions could be made in the moment, not even the firing of the principal which I kind of think is a no-brainer,” White added. “We want an independent investigation of it, we want people put on administrative leave, we want people fired.”
Parents pointed out the meeting took place a week after the incident occurred. A concerned parent launched a petition on Wednesday, demanding for a comprehensive review of the district’s response to the incident.
Families are also asking the school to make staff go through safety training, add more fencing and purchase new surveillance equipment.
A Public Information Officer for the district indicated they are making some changes.
“We’re looking at exactly what happened, what transpired afterwards as well,” said Lauren Snell. “We also changed the supervision areas that teacher assistants had on recess to make sure that all students were visible.”
Meanwhile, this wasn’t the suspects’ first run-in with the police.
Galligan was put on the sex offender registry in 2011 and was convicted of non-consent sexual conduct.
He’s currently being held behind bars on a $25,000 bail and is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
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