The report makes clear that there were "multiple systemic failures" in the police response to the shooting that killed 19 children and two adults by an attacker who stormed Robb School in Uvalde. The report was prepared by a Texas House of Representatives investigative committee and delivered to family members on Sunday.
The report clarified that "the totality of law enforcement and its training, preparedness and response share systemic responsibility for many missed opportunities." The operation involved nearly 400 local, state and federal law enforcement officers, but their performance has been questioned. Police forces lingered 77 minutes outside the classroom without confronting the attacker.
According to the commission's report, first responders "lost critical momentum" by treating the situation as a "barricaded subject" scenario, which requires a slower response, compared to an active attacker. The new report, which is nearly 80 pages long, also highlights that the school's doors were often unlocked or open and that the campus was not prepared to deal with an attack.
Chronicle of a massacre
On May 24, 2022, 18-year-old Rolando Ramos shot and wounded his grandmother with a handgun. Then, he drove to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde and fired shots outside, entered the building and locked himself in a classroom for more than an hour. He carried out the crimes during that time. He carried an AR-15 style rifle, with which he killed 21 people until the U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit discharged him.
For his part, Mayor Don McLaughlin said days after the events, that he lost confidence in the investigations because the information from the Texas Department of Public Safety changed "so many times and when we asked questions, we were not getting answers" and asked the US Department of Justice to investigate the work done by law enforcement.
The performance of the agents
The exact number of agents involved in the operation was 376: 91 state police, 25 Uvalde police and 16 from the sheriff's office were involved. The rest were members of police forces from nearby counties, federal marshals and DEA agents.
Several weeks ago, school police chief Pedro "Pete" Arredondo" resigned from his position. Investigators said another officer could have taken on the job of commanding the officers, and should have done so.
"These local officers were not the only ones expected to provide the necessary leadership during this tragedy," the report said. "Hundreds of first responders from numerous law enforcement agencies, many of whom were better trained and better equipped than school district police, arrived quickly on the scene," the report explains.
