Uvalde, Texas – Families of victims in the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, are experiencing a renewed wave of grief as a report released in January revealed that police missed several opportunities to prevent the tragedy that claimed the lives of Ms. Garcia and 20 others. The findings of an independent investigation last week have caused further distress among the families, as it acknowledged errors by authorities but ultimately supported the actions taken by local police during the incident.
The former mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, who launched an investigation into the police response, expressed surprise at the report’s defense of the officers involved. McLaughlin, now a Republican nominee for a seat in the state Legislature, criticized the actions of the acting chief on the scene during the shooting, suggesting a failure in response.
Victims’ families have long criticized the police for what they perceive as a lack of leadership during the 77-minute period between the arrival of the gunman, Salvador Ramos, at the school and the confrontation by law enforcement. Part of the delay in response was attributed to officers spending a considerable amount of time searching for a key to a classroom that turned out to be unlocked.
Video footage from the school’s CCTV cameras depicted a troubling scene where an officer was seen checking his phone and another was seen applying hand sanitizer while armed police officers stood waiting in the hallway. These actions have raised concerns about the level of preparedness and focus exhibited by the police during such a critical incident.