Quote from Alex bobby on January 19, 2024, 6:33 PM

Uvalde families want criminal charges filed after the Justice Department issued a scathing report

In the aftermath of the Uvalde, Texas school massacre on May 24, 2022, families of the victims and the community at large are grappling with renewed demands for criminal charges following a scathing Justice Department report. The report, comprising nearly 600 pages and released roughly 20 months after the tragic event, exposes numerous failures by law enforcement during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history at Robb Elementary School.

Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of the teachers killed, expressed her surprise at the lack of criminal charges: "I’m very surprised that no one has ended up in prison. It’s sort of a slap in the face that all we get is a review ... we deserve justice."

The report sheds light on the incident where nineteen students and two teachers lost their lives inside two fourth-grade classrooms while armed police officers waited in the hallways for over an hour before confronting the gunman. However, it deliberately leaves unanswered the burning question in the minds of many victims' families: Will anyone be held criminally responsible for the failures?

President Joe Biden, yet to read the full findings, expressed uncertainty about criminal liability. While at least five officers, including two from the Texas Department of Public Safety and the then-school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, have lost their jobs, no criminal charges have been filed. The Justice Department report notes that the FBI assisted the Texas Rangers in the investigation but did not conduct its own.

The Texas Rangers, part of the Texas DPS with over 90 officers at the scene, submitted their initial findings in early 2023. Unvalued County District Attorney Christina Mitchell initially aimed to bring the case to a grand jury by the end of the previous year but pushed back the timeline in December, citing the need to review the voluminous Justice Department report.

Mitchell, addressing the challenges, stated, "I am a working DA with a small office. It is going to take me a while to go through this report. I am hopeful that it was informative for the community."

The slow pace of the criminal investigation has frustrated families, local leaders, and state representatives, with concerns raised about the lack of progress even 20 months after the tragic event. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez remarked, "Twenty months later, there’s no end in sight for this local district attorney to be able to do anything. It’s really a shame where we are now."

The Justice Department report outlines "cascading failures" by police, including delayed intervention, false information provided to grieving families, and issues with training, communication, leadership, and technology. The document, among the most comprehensive accounts to date, underscores the extent of the crisis and the agony faced by parents and students during the incident.

Uvalde, a close-knit city of 15,000, has been deeply affected, with parents feeling abandoned by local and state leaders seeking to move past the tragedy. The report aims to unify the community around a common set of facts and potentially spur criminal charges. However, opinions remain divided, and some individuals, like Brett Cross, who lost his 10-year-old nephew Uziyah Garcia in the shooting, find it challenging to trust law enforcement officials who were present during the tragedy.

The Department of Justice report also criticizes state and local officials for releasing false and misleading information about the police response, eroding public trust in law enforcement. Governor Greg Abbott, who initially praised the officers' courage, came under scrutiny for contributing to the misinformation.

As the community grapples with the aftermath, individuals like Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jacklyn Cazares was a victim, hope for accountability through criminal charges but express skepticism about those in positions of power. The road to justice in Uvalde remains uncertain, leaving families and the community in search of closure and accountability for the tragic events of May 24, 2022 .