The results of an investigation into the Uvalde Police Department’s response to a deadly school shooting in May were addressed on Tuesday. The findings were stunning and infuriating.
As RedState reported on Monday, we now know that the responding officers not only had tactical weaponry in hand, but they also had bullet-proof ballistic shields. Instead of attempting to neutralize the shooter, who eventually killed 19 children and two teachers, they stood idly by, not even trying to open the door and enter the classroom for another hour.
Now, according to Texas DPS officials, within three minutes of the killer entering the school, there were sufficient officers present and the equipment needed to take the shooter out.
Texas police commander: “Three minutes after the shooter entered [Robb Elementary], there was sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to neutralize the subject. The only thing stopping [them] was the on scene commander.” pic.twitter.com/8a8zBzw7rW
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) June 21, 2022
The words of the police commander completely contradict the story the Uvalde PD told in the aftermath of the tragedy. Wild claims about officers being forced to retreat and lacking the firepower to respond were put out there by local authorities. Those were false, as the surveillance video released yesterday makes clear. The large group of trained police officers with AR variants and ballistic shields absolutely could have confronted and taken out the single, untrained shooter who wasn’t even wearing body armor.
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Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw says teachers — not law enforcement — should be praised for their actions one month ago today. He said police had enough firepower and protection to act far faster than they did. Teachers worked quickly to lock the school down and save lives.
— Tony Plohetski (@tplohetski) June 21, 2022
JUST IN: Texas DPS director McCraw says #Uvalde classroom door was not locked; no officers tried opening door
— BNN 🇺🇸 Newsroom (@BNNUS) June 21, 2022
It’s hard to imagine how angry this must make the parents who lost children that day. You never want to dwell on what could have been, but in this situation, the carnage could have been limited to a tiny fraction of the total number of deaths had the fully equipped officers simply done their duty. Instead, as testified to by a parent who entered the school to rescue her children, they hid in the hallway as the shots rang out in the classroom. And as the Texas DPS made clear with Tuesday’s remarks, those officers never even attempted to open the door. They simply let the murders happen.
This cowardice can’t be swept under the rug. It shouldn’t be protected by claims of qualified immunity either. Real punishment needs to be divvied out, starting with the former police chief and now-city councilman who was running the operation.
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