Parents of victims speak out after an independent investigation found local police officers not guilty in the tragic Uvalde, Texas, school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. vehemently objected.
Jesse Prado, an experienced investigator in the Austin, Texas area, authored the Uvalde City Council report examining the Uvalde Police Department’s response to the May 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting.
The Prado newspaper determined that none of the first five Uvalde police officers who responded to the shooting violated policy or committed any serious misconduct.
The five Uvalde police officers were identified as Sgt. Donald Page, who was one of the first officers to spot the children in other classrooms in the hallway, scene commander Peter Arredondo, Lt. Javier Martinez, Uvalde Detective Luis Landry, 2nd Class. Sgt. Eduardo Canales.
Texas law enforcement responding to Ubalde school shooting ordered released by grand jury: report
Privacy barriers and bike storage are maintained around a memorial outside Robb Elementary School after video was released showing the May school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on July 13, 2022. are doing. (Reuters/Kayley Greenlee Beal)
The study cited less than comprehensive law enforcement training, incomplete communication, and poor equipment as contributing factors to the inadequate response.
“There were communication problems all day, no communication. Officers had no way of knowing what was being planned or what was being said,” Prado said. “If they had a ballistic shield, that would have been enough to get them to the door.”
Body camera video taken on May 24, 2022 shows Uvalde police officers and other law enforcement officers responding to a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. (Uvalde Police Department)
The Prado newspaper said the investigation showed the officers showed “immense strength” and “calm thinking” in the face of gunfire from the gunman.
“They were being shot eight feet from the door,” Prado said.
Report assessing gunfire response in Uvalde schools
Prado also said families who rushed to the school had to escort parents who tried to enter the school grounds, hampering efforts to establish a chain of command.
“Sometimes it was difficult to control,” Prado said. “They were trying to break through the police fence.”
On May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, a gunman flees through a window to safety during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 children and two adults. Children. (Pete Luna/Uvalderrieder-News/Handout via Reuters)
Parents who were listening to the findings of the Uvalde City Council report became enraged during Prado’s comments.
“Coward,” one angry parent shouted.
These police officers signed up to do the job. they didn’t do that.
“My daughter was left for dead,” Ruben Zamora said. “These officers signed up to do their job. They didn’t do their job.”
A cross with the names of the victims of Tuesday’s mass shooting is placed outside Robb Elementary School on Thursday, May 26, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Police previously announced that a total of 376 law enforcement officers descended on Robb Elementary School.
report by Texas House of Representatives The commission previously reported that a large number of law enforcement officers remained at the scene for 70 minutes before a team entered a fourth-grade classroom, armed with an AR-15-style rifle, and fired shots at an 18-year-old who was over 18 years old. He announced that he had confronted the perpetrator. 140 rounds in school.
Ubalde school shooting: 1 year later
a Ministry of Justice A report released in January criticized “cascading failures” in law enforcement’s response.
Students arrive at Uvalde Elementary School, currently protected by fencing and Texas State Police, on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, for the first day in Uvalde. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Uvalde City Councilman Hector Luevano said he was “baffled” and “insulted” by the city’s report.
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“These families deserve more. This community deserves more,” Luevano said. “I do not accept this report.”
