Current:Home > ScamsUvalde City Council to release investigation of the police response to 2022 school massacre-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Uvalde City Council to release investigation of the police response to 2022 school massacre
View Date:2024-12-23 18:29:50
UVALDE, Texas (AP) — Nearly two years after the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the city council will discuss the results of an independent investigation it requested into the response by local police officers.
The report is one of multiple investigations into the deadly school massacre after Texas lawmakers found in 2022 that nearly 400 officers rushed to the scene but waited for over an hour before confronting the gunman. It follows a report by the Department of Justice earlier this year that criticized the “cascading failures” of responding law enforcement personnel from more than 20 local, state and federal agencies.
Uvalde City Council leaders will meet Thursday to discuss the results of the investigation, which began months after the shooting and was led by Jesse Prado, an Austin-based investigator and former police detective. Councilmembers will meet in a private executive session before presenting the results publicly and inviting citizen comment.
A criminal investigation by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell’s office into the law enforcement response to the May 2022 shooting remains open. A grand jury was summoned earlier this year and some law enforcement officials have already been asked to testify.
Tensions remain high between Uvalde city officials and the local prosecutor, while the community of more than 15,000, about 85 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of San Antonio, is plagued with trauma and divided over accountability.
Those tensions peaked in December 2022, when the city of Uvalde sued the local prosecutor’s office seeking access to records and other investigative materials regarding the shooting at Robb Elementary School. That lawsuit is among the topics that the city council could revisit Thursday.
The city’s independent investigation comes after a nearly 600-page January report by the Department of Justice found massive failures by law enforcement, including acting with “no urgency” to establish a command post, assuming the subject was barricaded despite ongoing gunfire, and communicating inaccurate information to grieving families.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the victims “deserved better,” as he presented the Justice Department’s findings to the affected families in Uvalde.
“Had law enforcement agencies followed generally accepted practices in active shooter situations and gone right after the shooter and stopped him, lives would have been saved and people would have survived,” Garland said at the news conference in January.
The report also found failings in the aftermath, with untrained hospital staff improperly delivering painful news and officials giving families mixed messages and misinformation about victims and survivors. One official told waiting families that another bus of survivors was coming, but that was untrue.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott initially praised the law enforcement response, saying the reason the shooting was “not worse is because law enforcement officials did what they do.” He claimed that officers had run toward gunfire to save lives.
But in the weeks following the shooting, that story changed as information released through media reports and lawmakers’ findings illustrated the botched law enforcement response.
At least five officers who were on the scene have lost their jobs, including two Department of Public Safety officers and the on-site commander, Pete Arredondo, the former school police chief. No officers have faced criminal charges.
veryGood! (39)
Related
- Man waives jury trial in killing of Georgia nursing student
- 13 crew members missing after a cargo ship sinks off a Greek island in stormy seas
- Mark Stoops addresses rumors about him leaving for Texas A&M: 'I couldn't leave' Kentucky
- Why Finland is blaming Russia for a sudden influx of migrants on its eastern border
- Jared Goff stats: Lions QB throws career-high 5 INTs in SNF win over Texans
- Christopher Luxon sworn in as New Zealand prime minister, says priority is to improve economy
- Congolese Nobel laureate kicks off presidential campaign with a promise to end violence, corruption
- How Jonathan Bailey and Matt Bomer Bonded Over a Glass of Milk
- Early Week 11 fantasy football rankings: 30 risers and fallers
- John Travolta Shares Sweet Tribute to Son Benjamin for His 13th Birthday
Ranking
- Women suing over Idaho’s abortion ban describe dangerous pregnancies, becoming ‘medical refugees’
- Max Verstappen caps of historic season with win at Abu Dhabi F1 finale
- Timeline: The mysterious death of Stephen Smith in Murdaugh country
- Kourtney Kardashian’s Son Reign Disick Reveals How He Wants to Bond With Baby Brother
- Mike Tyson has lived a wild life. These 10 big moments have defined his career
- How did humans get to the brink of crashing climate? A long push for progress and energy to fuel it
- Suzanne Shepherd, Sopranos and Goodfellas actress, dies at 89
- These Secrets About the Twilight Franchise Will Be Your Life Now
Recommendation
-
Special counsel Smith asks court to pause appeal seeking to revive Trump’s classified documents case
-
Milroe’s TD pass to Bond on fourth-and-31 rescues No. 8 Alabama in 27-24 win over Auburn
-
Man killed after shooting at police. A woman was heard screaming in Maryland home moments before
-
Max Verstappen caps of historic season with win at Abu Dhabi F1 finale
-
The Bachelorette's Desiree Hartsock Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby No. 3 With Chris Siegfried
-
Global watchdog urges UN Security Council to consider all options to protect Darfur civilians
-
Biden says 4-year-old Abigail Edan was released by Hamas. He hopes more U.S. hostages will be freed
-
Dwayne Johnson and Lauren Hashian Serve Up Sweet Musical Treat for Thanksgiving