Uvalde, Texas – The Department of Justice has released a long-awaited report criticizing the police response to the deadly 2022 Uvalde school shooting. The report highlighted numerous failures in the police assessment of the situation and the slow confrontation of the gunman, resulting in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary school.
The report, spanning over 400 pages, outlined the mistakes made by the law enforcement officers during the tragic incident. The small Texas town of roughly 15,000 residents has been eagerly awaiting the findings of the report since the shooting, which was one of the deadliest in US history.
US Attorney General Merrick Garland visited Uvalde and met with the families of the victims to address their concerns ahead of the report’s release. The families, who have been grappling with the loss of their loved ones, expressed a mixture of emotions following the private meeting with Justice Department officials.
The review was prompted by former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin’s request, as conflicting accounts about the police response arose in the aftermath of the shooting. Close to 400 law enforcement officers were present at the scene, but both the victims and their families felt that the response was inadequate and too slow.
In a separate report by Texas lawmakers, law enforcement was largely blamed for the tragic outcome, citing significant errors in decision-making and a failure to prioritize the lives of the innocent over their own safety. The fallout from the incident led to the dismissal of multiple officers, including the former school police chief.
Several lawsuits have been filed by members of the community against local officials and the police department, signaling the ongoing ramifications of the tragic event. Amidst this, the Uvalde County District Attorney has indicated that a criminal investigation into the police response is ongoing and is expected to continue into the following year.