UVALDE, Texas – There were “systemic failures” as nearly 400 officers at a Texas elementary school waited to confront a gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers in May, according to a report released on Sunday.
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An investigative committee with the Texas House of Representatives released the report on the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde that occurred on May 24. It is the first report to criticize both state and federal law enforcement, and not just local authorities in Uvalde, for officers who massed in the hallway of the school for 77 minutes, The Associated Press reported.
The most extensive account of the shooting stated that there was chaos after the Uvalde schools police chief failed to take charge at the school, and that better-equipped departments should have stepped up to fill the leadership void, according to The Texas Tribune.
The report by the committee was released after weeks of closed-door interviews with more than 40 people, including witnesses and law enforcement who were on the scene, the AP reported.
A total of 376 law enforcement officers — a force larger than the garrison that defended the Alamo — descended upon the school in an agonizing scenario that played out for more than an hour, the Texas Tribune reported.
The newspaper, which reviewed the report before its scheduled release to the public, reported that there were 149 U.S. Border Patrol agents, 91 state police officials and 14 members of the Department of Homeland Security at the school. There were 25 Uvalde police officers and 16 sheriff’s deputies and 16 San Antonio Police Department SWAT members. There were five officers under the command of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
“These local officials were not the only ones expected to supply the leadership needed during this tragedy,” the report said. “Hundreds of responders from numerous law enforcement agencies — many of whom were better trained and better equipped than the school district police — quickly arrived on the scene,” the Tribune reported.
The other responders “could have helped to address the unfolding chaos.”
Even a flawless police response would not have saved most of the victims, according to the report. The victims were shot by a high-powered AR-15-style rifle, The New York Times reported.
Some of the victims did survive, only to die on the way to the hospital, according to the newspaper. In a final footnote, the report stated that it “it is plausible that some victims could have survived if they had not had to wait” for rescue.
Committee members said they did not find any “villains” beyond the 18-year-old shooter.
“There is no one to whom we can attribute malice or ill motives. Instead, we found systemic failures and egregious poor decision making,” the report said, according to CNN.
“It’s a joke. They’re a joke. They’ve got no business wearing a badge. None of them do,” Vincent Salazar, the father of 11-year-old Layla Salazer, told the AP on Sunday.
“We’re not gonna get the truth, because there is coverup. Everyone is covering everybody under the bus,” Salazar said in an interview with CNN. “The only ones that ain’t under the bus is because they’re six feet in the ground now, at that’s our children and the two teachers.”
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin was expected to hold a news conference later Sunday, according to CNN.
Committee chairman Rep. Dustin Burrows said last month the group would do “everything in its power” to provide facts and answers about what happened “leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of this tragedy” in Uvalde, CNN reported.
The committee had scheduled a private meeting with Uvalde families to discuss their findings before releasing the report to the public, according to the AP.
Families of the victims received the 77-page report and hallway surveillance video, with no audio, of the law enforcement response on May 24 at the school, according to the news outlet. Printed copies of the report were hand-delivered to Uvalde and Texas officials Saturday night out of fear the document might leak to the media before family members of the victims were able to read it.
That was in response to Austin news outlets that released edited footage from inside the school, which showed officers in the hallway for more than an hour after the gunman entered a classroom, The Dallas Morning News reported. The surveillance footage was leaked and published by the Austin American-Statesman and aired by television station KVUE on Tuesday. Families and local officials reacted strongly, saying they were blindsided by the release, which occurred before they had a chance to view the footage.
The footage showed the gunman entered the school at 11:33 a.m. CDT, with officers massing in the hallway three minutes later, KSAT-TV reported.
“The Committee issues this interim report now, believing the victims, their families, and the entire Uvalde community have already waited too long for answers and transparency,” the report read.
The Archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia-Siller, comforts families outside of the Civic Center following a deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
Members of the community gather at the city of Uvalde Town Square for a prayer vigil in the wake of a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
People react outside the Civic Center following a deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
The Archbishop of San Antonio, Gustavo Garcia-Siller, right, comforts families outside of the Civic Center following a deadly school shooting at Robb Elementary School, in Uvalde, Texas Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
The American flag flies at half staff on the White House after President Joe Biden spoke about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, from the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
President Joe Biden speaks to the nation about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, from the White House, in Washington, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, as first lady Jill Biden listens.
President Joe Biden tells reporters he will speak about the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, later in the evening as he arrives at the White House, in Washington, from his trip to Asia, Tuesday, May 24, 2022.
People react outside the Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at a Texas elementary school, killing multiple people.
People wait outside of the Civic Center in Uvalde, Texas, Tuesday, May 24, 2022. An 18-year-old gunman opened fire at Robb Elementary School, killing multiple people.
Law enforcement personnel stand next to an armored vehicle outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel gather gear outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel, including the FBI, gather near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel, including the FBI, arrive at Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement personnel stand outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
A Texas State Police officer walks outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Law enforcement, and other first responders, gather outside Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Police walk near Robb Elementary School following a shooting, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas.
Irma Garcia was a teacher at Robb Elementary. It was confirmed through a GoFundMe site set up to raise funds for funeral expenses and family needs. Garcia was a wife and mother to four children. She died shielding students from gunfire.
Courtesy: Felix and Kimberly Rubio
Undated family photos of Lexi Rubio, who was killed in Tuesday’s shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Photos of Robb Elementary School victim Jose Flores Jr., 10
Xavier Lopez, a victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo.
Courtesy Cecily Saenz and Laura Mejia
Fourth-grader Xavier Lopez died in the school shooting, his family confirmed to ABC News.
According to his cousin, Xavier’s mom was at his awards ceremony one to two hours prior to the shooting, not knowing it would be the last time she would see him.
Eva Mireles, 4th Grade Teacher at Robb Elementary and victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo.
Courtesy Lydia Martinez Delgado
Eva Mireles, a fourth-grade teacher at the elementary school, was killed in the shooting, her aunt, Lydia Martinez Delgado, confirmed to ABC News. She had been a teacher in the school district for approximately 17 years, Delgado said.
Aunt Polly Flores identified her two nieces Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 and Jackie Cazares, 10 as among the students killed in the Uvalde shooting. They were both in the fourth grade, in the same class at Robb Elementary. (Courtesy Polly Flores via ABC News)
Eliahana Cruz Torres, in an undated family photo. Torres died in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (The Cruz family via ABC)
Amerie jo Garza, a victim in the school shooting on May 24, 2022, is pictured in an undated family photo. (Courtesy Angel Garza via ABC News)
Aunt Polly Flores identified her two nieces Annabelle Rodriguez, 10 and Jackie Cazares, 10 as among the students killed in the Uvalde shooting. They were both in the fourth grade, in the same class at Robb Elementary, she told me.
Annabelle is holding an honor roll certificate. (Courtesy Polly Flores via ABC News)
Hinojosa McKenzie, 28, fourth from left, prays for her cousin Eliahana Torres and other victims, at a memorial site for victims killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A woman walks toward Robb Elementary School to lay flowers for the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A state trooper carries a stand with an image depicting Jesus outside Robb Elementary School to place it around a memorial honoring the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Jessica Morales, whose cousin, Ellie Garcia, was killed in this week’s elementary school shooting, writes encouraging words on her SUV in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. "You don’t expect things like this to happen," said Morales. "It left a big hole in my heart." (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A state trooper is handed flowers and stuffed animals outside Robb Elementary School to be placed at a memorial honoring the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Hinojosa McKenzie, 28, writes a message on a cross for her cousin Eliahana Torres, at a memorial site for victims, including her cousin, killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Members of the Mennonite community of Uvalde sing hymns to offer comfort to people visiting a memorial site for victims killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
Messages written in chalk decorate the footpaths at a memorial site for victims killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A family prays at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School for the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A group of bikers pray outside Robb Elementary School for the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Pastor Humberto Jnr, center, wearing a t-shirt that says "In Uvalde As In Heaven," leads a prayer circle at a memorial site for victims killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A "Uvalde Strong" sign is posted on an electric pole in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. Nineteen children were looking forward to a summer filled with Girl Scouts and soccer and video games. Two teachers were closing out a school year that they started with joy and that had held such promise. They’re the 21 people who were killed Tuesday when an 18-year-old gunman barricaded himself in a fourth-grade classroom at Robb Elementary School in the southwestern Texas town of Uvalde. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Jarrod Tomassi, 45, holds an American flag outside Robb Elementary School while praying for the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People carry flowers as they walk toward a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in the school shooting earlier in the week in Uvalde, Texas, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
A man kisses the cross of Layla Salazar at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
A state trooper carries a sign handed to him to be place at a memorial honoring the victims killed in this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Bikers wear T-shirts that say "United with Uvalde" to honor victims killed in this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Flowers and candles are placed around crosses at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A large teddy bear is placed at a memorial in front of crosses bearing the names of the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Hinojosa McKenzie, 28, writes a message on a cross for her cousin Eliahana Torres, at a memorial site for victims, including her cousin, killed in the Robb Elementary school shooting, Saturday, May 28, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
A law enforcement personnel stands next to a large teddy bear at a memorial honoring the victims in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
People pay their respects at a memorial outside Robb Elementary School to honor the victims killed in this week’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills)
People visit a memorial set up in a town square to honor the victims killed in this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
A state trooper places a tiara on a cross honoring Ellie Garcia, one of the victims killed in this week’s elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas Saturday, May 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)