This is a scathing report which found “critical, cascading failures” by the tardy, ill-prepared and sadly, cowardly, local police. 19 children and two teachers were killed in the May 24, 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School; this report has identified a vast array of problems of the police’s sluggish action.
‘The response to the May 24, 2022, mass casualty incident at Robb Elementary School was a failure,’ the Justice Department report concluded.
UCISD PD Chief Arredondo was the de facto incident commander on the day of the incident. Chief Arredondo had the necessary authority, training, and tools. He did not provide appropriate leadership, command, and control, including not establishing an incident command structure nor directing entry into classrooms 111 and 112. (Observation 9)
On the day of the incident, no leader effectively questioned the decisions and lack of urgency of UCISD PD Chief Arredondo and UPD Acting Chief Pargas toward entering classrooms 111/112, including within their respective agencies and agencies with concurrent/overlapping jurisdiction (e.g., Uvalde County Sheriff Nolasco, Uvalde County Constable Zamora, Uvalde County Constable Field, TX Ranger 1). (Observation 12)
Full report here: https://cops.usdoj.gov/uvalde
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement: ‘The victims and survivors of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School deserved better. The law enforcement response at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022 – and the response by officials in the hours and days after – was a failure.‘
Some bullet wound victims were put on busses without being alerted to medics, and some parents were told their children had survived the mass shooting when they had in fact not, Garland added.
The Justice Department collected more than 13,000 items from the scene for for analysis. This included hours of video, photos, interviews, as well as police policies, procedures, and training.