Shocking Uvalde Report Details 'Systemic Failures' From Authorities
It’s no secret that the law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School massacre was inadequate, but a new report is detailing just how shockingly awful the situation truly was.
Weeks after a teen gunman killed 19 children and 2 teachers in Uvalde, Texas, authorities are suggesting that law enforcement suffered from “systemic failures” during the shooting.
A blistering preliminary report released Sunday by a Texas House of Representatives investigative committee found “systemic failures and egregious poor decision making” by law enforcement and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in the wake of the mass shooting that killed 19 kids and two teachers at Robb Elementary School.
Advertisement - story continues belowAfter the report’s release, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin announced that the acting chief of police, Lt. Mariano Pargas, has been placed on leave as a city investigation of his response and that of his officers is launched.
The issues were pervasive, and began right at the top.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, McLaughlin said the city’s inquiry would “ investigate whether Lt. Pargas was responsible for taking command on May 24th, what specific actions Lt. Pargas took to establish that command, and whether it was even feasible given all the agencies involved and other possible policy violations.”
Lawmakers were furious as well:
Speaking at a news conference on the findings, state Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, said any individual officer at the scene who didn’t take more action or question who was in charge should be held accountable.
Officers at the scene had a responsibility to ensure there was “effective overall command” and to “ask more questions,” he said.
State Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, agreed, saying of each officer at the scene, “They should have done more, acted with urgency.”
There are several other investigations currently in the works that could shed further light on the incident, and further fuel the debate over the law enforcement reaction to the shooting.
