Uvalde families voice outrage after internal report absolves law enforcement of failings

Parents in Uvalde, Texas expressed their outrage after a long-awaited report on the Robb Elementary mass shooting absolved first responders of any failings in their response that day.

The Uvalde City Council held a special meeting on Thursday to hear the findings of the report into the May 2022 shooting, which left 19 students and two teachers dead.

The investigation found that none of the initial five Uvalde police officers who attended the scene violated policy or committed serious acts of misconduct, prompting outrage from victims’ families in the room.

First responders waited 77 minutes before engaging with the gunman on 24 May 2022 – a delay which has come under much criticism in the nearly two years since.

A Department of Justice report released in January heavily criticised the police response, calling it a “failure”, despite around 400 personnel eventually arriving at the scene.

Thursday’s announcement came in complete contrast to that damning report, absolving Uvalde police Sgt Donald Page, Lt Javier Martinez, Detective Louis Landry and Staff Sgt Eduardo Canales of any accusations that they violated department policy.