Current:Home > MarketsU.S. attorney general meets with Uvalde families ahead of federal report about police response to school shooting -RiskWatch
U.S. attorney general meets with Uvalde families ahead of federal report about police response to school shooting
View
Date:2025-04-12 06:07:28
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland met with the families of those killed in the 2022 Uvalde school shooting one day before a federal report into the halting and haphazard law enforcement response to the incident was set to be released.
During his visit on Wednesday, Garland saw murals of the victims that have been painted around Uvalde. The community of 15,000 is still struggling with the trauma of the shooting, which left 19 elementary students and two teachers dead. Justice Department officials also privately briefed family members on the contents of the report, conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice, at a community center in Uvalde on Wednesday night. The report will be released Thursday.
The review by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services was launched just days after the shooting, and local prosecutors are still evaluating a separate criminal investigation by the Texas Rangers. Several of the officers involved have lost their jobs.
The Justice Department has said its investigation would "provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and response that day" and identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for active shooter events.
Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell said in a statement Wednesday that she had not been given a copy of the Justice Department's report but had been informed it does not address any potential criminal charges.
Berlinda Arreola, whose granddaughter was killed in the shooting, said following Wednesday night's meeting that accountability remained in the hands of local prosecutors who are separately conducting a criminal investigation into the police response.
"I have a lot of emotions right now. I don't have a lot of words to say," Arreola said.
The report is reviving scrutiny of the hundreds of officers who responded to the 2022 massacre but waited more than an hour to confront and kill the gunman, but it's unclear what new light it will shed. The shooting has already been picked over in legislative hearings, news reports and a damning report by Texas lawmakers who faulted law enforcement at every level with failing "to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety."
In the 20 months since the Justice Department announced its review, footage showing police waiting in a hallway outside the fourth-grade classrooms where the gunman opened fire has become the target of national ridicule.
How police respond to mass shootings around the country has been scrutinized since the tragedy in Uvalde, about 85 miles southwest of San Antonio.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott initially praised the courage of officers' response and blame was later cast heavily on local authorities in Uvalde. But an 80-page report from a panel of state lawmakers and investigations by journalists laid bare how over the course of more than 70 minutes, a mass of officers went in and out of the school with weapons drawn but did not go inside the classroom where the shooting was taking place. The 376 officers at the scene included state police, Uvalde police, school officers and U.S. Border Patrol agents.
The delayed response countered active-shooter training that emphasizes confronting the gunman, a standard established more than two decades ago after the mass shooting at Columbine High School showed that waiting cost lives. As what happened during the shooting has become clear, the families of some victims have blasted police as cowards and demanded resignations.
At least five officers have lost their jobs, including two Department of Public Safety officers and Uvalde's school police chief, Pete Arredondo, who was the on-site commander during the attack.
- In:
- School Shooting
- Politics
- Texas
- Merrick Garland
- Shootings
veryGood! (7591)
Related
- Sonya Massey's father decries possible release of former deputy charged with her death
- In the doghouse: A member of Santa Fe’s K-9 unit is the focus of an internal affairs investigation
- Netflix to fight woman's claim of being inspiration behind Baby Reindeer stalker character
- Star Wars Father’s Day Gifts for the Dadalorian in Your Life
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- Mortgage closing fees are in the hot seat. Here's why the feds are looking into them.
- Max Verstappen wins 3rd straight Canadian Grand Prix for 60th Formula 1 victory
- Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders, who took famous 'Earthrise' photo, dies in plane crash
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- No More Waiting: Save 53% on the Dash Rapid Cold Brew Maker That Works Quickly
Ranking
- The Best Stocking Stuffers Under $25
- One U.S. D-Day veteran's return to Normandy: We were scared to death
- FDA approves first RSV vaccine for at-risk adults in their 50s
- NBA Finals Game 2 Mavericks vs. Celtics: Predictions, betting odds
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Celtics beat Mavericks 105-98, take 2-0 lead in NBA Finals as series heads to Dallas
- Watch: Bryce Harper's soccer-style celebration after monster home run in MLB London Series
- Trust your eyes, Carlos Alcaraz shows he really is a 'mega talent' in French Open victory
Recommendation
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
35 children among those killed in latest Sudan civil war carnage, U.N. says
Derrick White has game-changing blocked shot in Celtics' Game 2 win vs. Mavericks
Mavericks’ plan to stop Celtics in NBA Finals: Get them to fight among themselves
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
See What the Class Has Been Up to Since Graduating Boy Meets World
Celebrities need besties too: A look at famous duos on National Best Friends Day 2024
10 injured in shooting at Wisconsin rooftop party