Share this @internewscast.com

A city council report presented Thursday cleared several police officers of wrongdoing in the delayed law enforcement response to a shooting at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school that ended in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers two years ago.

The Uvalde City Council commissioned its own investigation after then-Mayor Don McLaughlin expressed frustration about obtaining information from the Uvalde County District Attorney and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Jesse Prado, an Austin-based investigator and former police detective who wrote the report, said clear communication gaps between Uvalde school district police and other responding officers were certainly to blame.

“There were problems all day long with communication, lack of it, he (former Uvalde school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo) would make phone calls but the officers had no way to know what was being planned or what was being said,” Prado said.

But when it came to the Uvalde city police force — the report’s focus — Prado named several city officers and commanders on the scene and declared that he found no evidence that they committed any wrongdoing or failure to follow training.

Prado said one sergeant showed “immeasurable strength and focus” at the task at hand, despite having a child in the school.

Uvalde residents at the city council meeting lashed out at lawmakers when Prado left the chambers as soon his 45-minute presentation was done. The hall broke into shouts of “bring him back” and “cowards!”

“How do all of you live with yourselves?” said Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio in the attack.

“How do you go to bed at night and then wake up every day? Shame on you all. You said they did it in good faith? You call that good faith? They stood there for 77 minutes and waited after they got call after call that kids were sill alive in there. All this is, it’s a pact. It’s a brothers pact. You protect your own.”

The father of Uvalde shooting survivor Mayah Zamora sarcastically said he was ready to hand out medals to police after Prado’s presentation.

“My daughter was left for dead,” Ruben Zamora said. “I work in the oil fields, if I don’t do my job I get fired, plain and simple. I signed up for a dangerous job, I know it’s a dangerous job and that’s my job. I got to take care of my job. These police officers signed up to do a job. They didn’t do it.”

In January, the U.S. Department of Justice blamed the law enforcement response on a lack of leadership at the scene and a failure to follow accepted police protocol to aggressively go after an active shooter.

Vincente Salazar Sr. said he refused to believe city police officers didn’t fail his slain granddaughter, Layla Salazar.

“You guys paid somebody to do the investigation … in other words this guy is saying the investigation the DOJ did was wrong,” he told the council. “What kind of respect is that to these families? ” 

Loved ones of the 19 victims, killed on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School, a little more than 80 miles west of downtown San Antonio, have long demanded to know why local authorities stood outside classroom doors during the standoff.

Federal agents from the Customs and Border Protection tactical unit (BORTAC), and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations eventually burst into a classroom and killed the shooter at 12:50 p.m that day.

The first responding officers arrived at Robb Elementary about an hour and 14 minutes before the shooter was killed, state police have said.

City council members said they did not know the contents of Prado’s report before he started speaking Thursday.

“I’m very disappointed. I’m very insulted by this report. The family deserve more, the community deserves more,” council member Hector Luevano said. “We know these families and they deserve a thorough investigation, a thorough explanation. I’m sorry, I don’t accept this report without further explanation and you shouldn’t either.”

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Portland police seek public's help after 'safe space' officer loses track of assault suspect near ICE facility

Portland Police Request Public Assistance After ‘Safe Space’ Officer Loses Assault Suspect Near ICE Facility

The police are asking for help from the public to locate a…
ICE in Chicago news: Legal advocates call for ban on ICE arrests without warrants at Cook County courthouses

Chicago News: Legal Advocates Demand Ban on ICE Arrests Without Warrants at Cook County Courthouses

CHICAGO (WLS) — Legal advocates want ICE to stop making arrests outside…
Enough Talk, Time for Muscle: Why Pete Hegseth’s Military Overhaul Is the Reset We Need

Time for Action: Why Pete Hegseth’s Military Reforms Are Essential

By nature, I am serene and pastoral, spending my time working to…
Manchester synagogue car and stabbing attack leaves at least 2 dead on Yom Kippur

Car and stabbing attack at Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur results in at least two fatalities

A brutal car and knife attack near a UK synagogue on Yom…
Federal government could resume taking DACA applications for permits to live and work in U.S.

U.S. Government May Start Accepting New DACA Applications for Work and Residency Permits

The federal government is expected to start accepting new applications for a…
Class back in session as 'Abbott Elementary' returns for fifth season on ABC

“Abbott Elementary” Kicks Off Its Fifth Season on ABC

HOLLYWOOD — “Abbott Elementary” is getting ready for the start of its…
Starmer’s digital ID work requirement sparks uproar from UK's left and right

Starmer’s Proposal for Digital ID Work Requirement Faces Backlash Across UK Political Spectrum

The United Kingdom’s political spectrum, from right-wing to left-wing, has united in…
Son accused of brutally beating his mother to death with gardening tool over inheritance: police

Man Allegedly Kills Mother in Violent Attack Using Garden Tool in Dispute Over Inheritance: Authorities

A Missouri man is behind bars after authorities say he allegedly beat…
Two Delta regional jets collide on taxiway at LaGuardia Airport; 1 injured

Two Delta Regional Jets Collide on LaGuardia Airport Taxiway; One Person Injured

Two Canadair jets operated by Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Air…
Florida brides face sudden venue closure before weddings

Unexpected Venue Closure Disrupts Weddings for Florida Brides

Chez L’Amour’s closure has set off a dispute between the owner and…
Harvard faculty expressed support for potential left-wing political violence during 2018 panel

Harvard Professors Backed Possible Progressive Political Protests at 2018 Discussion

The city of Charlottesville took legal action against the group, alleging it…
Pope Leo XIV intervenes in US abortion debate, Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich giving award to Illinois Senator Dick Durbin

Pope Leo XIV Weighs in on US Abortion Discussion as Chicago Cardinal Cupich Honors Senator Durbin

ROME — Pope Leo XIV has made his first intervention in an…