A 77-page report and body cam footage released by a special investigative committee revealed in excruciating detail the failure of law enforcement to respond to the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Nearly 400 law enforcement officers had arrived on the scene during a 78-minute standoff with the 18-year-old gunman who ultimately murdered 19 students and two teachers in adjoining classrooms with an unlocked door.
The carnage didn’t end until two off-duty members of a U.S. Border Patrol Tactical Unit (BORTAC) breached the rooms and killed the gunman.
The report blamed other factors for the tragic loss of life, from the shooter’s negligent family to the school’s security protocols — but lay the most blame on law enforcement.
The Daily Wire’s Virginia Kruta explains:
“They failed to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety,” the report read, openly criticizing law enforcement for failing to act in the face of a clear emergency — and making it clear that the biggest failure had not been in a lack of manpower or equipment but a lack of leadership and communication at a critical moment.
At one point in the released body cam footage — recorded feet away from the gunman — a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) special officer implores fellow officers that they need to breach the rooms “if there’s [sic] kids in there.” Another officer tells him the incident commander would make that decision. The first ballistic shield had arrived at the school minutes before.
And yet the killing continued. At one point, one student who hadn’t caught the attention of the gunman called 911 but hung up when another told her to be quiet. The gunman proceeded to execute them both.
By that time three ballistic shields had been brought into the school.
Kruta continues:
While much of the heat in the wake of the shooting has been directed at local authorities — Uvalde school district officers and local sheriff’s deputies — the report indicated that the overwhelming majority of responders on the scene had been state police officers (91) and U.S. Border Patrol agents (149). The remainder were U.S. Marshals, federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officers, and local authorities from neighboring counties.
“These local officials were not the only ones expected to supply the leadership needed during this tragedy. Hundreds of responders from numerous law enforcement agencies — many of whom were better trained and better equipped than the school district police — quickly arrived on the scene,” the committee wrote, adding that any one of those other officers “could have helped to address the unfolding chaos.”
Many of the first responders believed Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was in charge. Others were unsure. Arredondo himself claimed that he didn’t know — although that goes against the school district’s active shooter response plan, which he co-authored.
The preliminary report summarized the response as “egregiously poor decision making.”
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin has since put the city’s acting police chief on administrative leave.
Hot Air’s Karen Townsend concludes:
I’m sure more will be written about the report here, as there is plenty to say about it. I wanted to start it off, though, with the fact that 376 law enforcement officers from various agencies, both federal and state, were present at the scene of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School and none of them stepped forward and took control of the scene. None of them. That is hard to wrap my head around. Only Arredondo and Lt. Pargas have been held accountable so far. They have been suspended, though, not fired and sent packing. If people won’t do the job when it is needed the most, they should be looking for new jobs.
Patrick Houck is an avid political enthusiast based out of the Washington, D.C., metro area. His expertise is in campaigns and the use of targeted messaging to persuade voters. When not combing through the latest news, you can find him enjoying the company of family and friends or pursuing his love of photography.
Purge whole PD, hire new Blood now
Adults knew this from the first.