The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday who will be on the team of experts that will lead a federal review of the police response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said that the DOJ's Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) will conduct the incident review, and the 9 experts on the team include an active sheriff, retired police chiefs, and and FBI official, among others.
"The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses; identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events; and provide a roadmap for community safety and engagement before, during, and after such incidents," the DOJ said in a news release.
Garland clarified that the investigation "is not a criminal review," according to CNN. The DOJ went on to explain what will be involved in their investigation in the news release.
"The assessment will examine issues including policies, training, communications, deployment and incident command, tactics, and practices as they relate to preparing for and responding to active shooter events, as well as the post-incident response," the DOJ said. "It will also include a review of survivor and victim family support and resources."
Garland added that the DOJ will do everything it can to help answer the questions surrounding the school shooting, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed by 18-year-old gunman Salvador Ramos.
"Nothing can undo the pain that has been inflicted on the loved ones of the victims, the survivors, and the entire community of Uvalde," Garland said in the news release. "But the Justice Department can and will use its expertise and independence to assess what happened and to provide guidance moving forward."
The experts involved in the investigation all have experience and expertise dealing with "emergency management and active shooter response, school safety, incident command and management, tactical operations, officer safety and wellness, and victim and family support," the DOJ noted.
"Those experts include: Chief Rick Braziel (retired), Sacramento, Calif.; Deputy Chief Gene Deisinger (retired), Virginia Tech, Va.; Director of Public Safety Frank Fernandez (retired), Coral Gables, Fla.; Albert Guarnieri, FBI Unit Chief; Major Mark Lomax (retired), Pennsylvania State Police, Pa.; Laura McElroy, CEO, McElroy Media Group; Sheriff John Mina, Orange County, Fla.; April Naturale, Assistant Vice President, Vibrant Emotional Health; Chief Kristen Ziman (retired), Aurora, Ill."
The DOJ announced on May 29 that it would investigate the response to the shooting after Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin requested it.
"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," department spokesman Anthony Coley said in a statement.
"As I said, we've been invited by the mayor, we have been promised, assured and welcomed with respect to cooperation at every level of law enforcement -- state, federal and local -- and we'll participate in that vein," Garland said, according to ABC News. "We don't expect any problems."
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