Texas Council Inquiry Report: Systematic Failure Of Police Leadership To Overcome Uvalde Shooting That Kills 21

UNSPLASH ILLUSTRATION

TEXAS - A Texas House investigation (DPR) into the mass shooting that killed 21 people at an elementary school in Uvalde found "systemic failure" and poor leadership played a role in the death toll.

In a 77-page report cited by Reuters, the Texas House of Representatives investigative committee questioned why it took more than an hour for police and other security personnel to raid and incapacitate an 18-year-old shooter at Robb SD on May 24.

In conclusion, the report said, law enforcement officers who arrived at the scene "failed to apply their shooting drills, and they failed to prioritize the safety of the victims over their own safety".

The report also said 376 law enforcement surrounded the school in a chaotic atmosphere characterized by a lack of clear leadership and sufficient emergency action.

"Other than the assailant, the Committee found no other 'criminals' under investigation," the report said.

"Instead, we find systemic failure and poor and terrible decision-making."

The absence of leadership, the report said, had contributed to the loss of life of the victims.

"...the injured victim waited for help for more than an hour, and the assailant continued to fire his weapon sporadically."

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an emailed statement that the city government had deactivated Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was acting as the city's police chief at the time of the incident.

Pargas did not respond to a request for comment.

State police officials have strongly criticized the leadership of Pete Arredondo, the head of police in the school district of six officers.

They said Arredondo was responsible for handling the incident.

However, the DPR report noted that hundreds of officers from a number of agencies better trained and more fully equipped than the local police also failed to deal with the shooting.

"Despite the chaotic atmosphere, officers of the rank of other agencies did not approach (Arredondo) or other parties in command to point out deficiencies… or offer special assistance," the report said.

Mayor McLaughlin on Sunday released officer camera footage of several city police officers at the scene showing confusion.

Camera footage of one of the first officers to arrive at the school showed chaos just minutes after the gunman shot more than 100 times in the classroom.

The officer approached the classroom door and was shot by the perpetrator. He asked his partner in the hallway if he was bleeding, then turned around outside the school.

"He's in that class!" shouted the officer to his partner outside. "We have to get in there! We have to get in there, he keeps shooting!"

The report cited a number of failures at the school, including highlighting a five-foot (about 1.5 m) outer fence that failed to deter the shooter.

There is also a "disciplined habit of disobeying school officials" as the indoor and outdoor doors are left unlocked or propped open.

The shooter easily entered the school through the unlocked door.

The report also mentions about 142 bullets fired by the perpetrators inside the building, that it is "almost certain" about 100 of them were fired before officers entered the school.

The report found "shortcomings and failures" on the part of the school district, various agencies and law enforcement, as well as a lack of approach among the authorities.

Students in the classroom when the shooting occurred called 911 and asked for help.

However, the report said no one had confirmed officers who made key decisions were aware of the emergency calls or "received information from students and teachers who survived the initial attack".

"No one in the chain of command analyzed this information to know that the perpetrator prevented the injured victim from receiving medical treatment," the report said.

The investigation also found there was a "relaxed vigilance" at the school as security alerts there were more frequent in cases of immigrant smuggling.

Video posted last week by the Austin American-Statesman daily showed police taking cover in the hallway for 77 minutes before storming two adjoining classrooms and having a gun battle with the assailant.

Authorities in May said panicked children in the classroom called 911 six times as officers waited in the hallway.

House member Dustin Burrows who heads the committee said at a press briefing Sunday that the aim of the investigation was to find facts so that the House can make future policy changes to make schools safer.

He said the scope of the investigation did not dig into what officers at the scene knew for certain, and that the matter would be handed over to the respective agencies concerned.

"If someone fails to apply their training, if someone finds out there are victims out there dead or injured and doesn't do more, I'm sure those agencies will hold those officers accountable," Burrows said.

Representative Joe Moody, who took part in the investigation, said the mass failure of law enforcement at Uvalde was a painful reality.

"It's hard to hear there have been some systemic failures because we want to tell ourselves that the system is working… we want to tell ourselves that this won't happen again. Turns out that wasn't true," Moody said.