In the wake of reports that law enforcement at the scene of the mass shooting recently in Uvalde, Texas, waited an hour before moving on the gunman, the Justice Department announced it would investigate the response.
“At the request of Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, the U.S. Department of Justice will conduct a Critical Incident Review of the law enforcement response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24,” said a statement from department spokesman Anthony Coley.
During a press conference Friday, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw said that around 20 officers waited outside the Robb Elementary School classroom where 18-year-old Salvador Ramos shot and killed 19 children and two teachers, according to a Politico report. McCraw said the commanding officer believed that people were no longer at risk as the police waited.
However, children inside the classroom who were still alive repeatedly called police for help.
“From the benefit of hindsight, where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision,” McCraw said of the commander’s decision to wait for tactical teams. “It was the wrong decision, period.”
Conflicting information about the response has led to public outrage, including criticism from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. The governor said he was “absolutely livid,” and that he was misled by authorities about the timeline of events.
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“Waiting an hour is disgusting,” said Sean Burke, a recently retired Lawrence, Massachusetts, school resource officer who is president of the School Safety Advocacy Council, according to NBC News. “If that turns out to be true, then it is a disgusting fact.”
According to Coley, the Justice Department review will be conducted to “provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events.”
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He said the review will be conducted with the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing and a report will be published when the review is complete.
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