US Border Patrol agents who responded to the Uvalde, Texas school shooting in May 2022 failed to establish command and lacked adequate training, according to a federal report released Thursday. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Professional Responsibility reviewed the actions of the 188 Border Patrol agents at Robb Elementary School, where a teenage gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in a fourth-grade classroom. Agents eventually entered the room and shot the gunman.
Border Patrol has faced less criticism compared to Texas state troopers and local police, even though the gunman remained in the classroom for over 70 minutes while law enforcement waited in the hallways. Two Uvalde school police officers, accused of inaction, were indicted this summer and have pleaded not guilty.
Border Patrol agents who rushed to the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, failed to establish command and had inadequate training to confront what became one of the nation’s deadliest classroom attacks, according to a federal report. https://t.co/GdKmgUmWEy
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) September 13, 2024
Families of the victims have demanded accountability for the delayed police response. Over 90 state police officials, along with school and city police, were present. Multiple investigations have exposed significant issues in law enforcement training, communication, leadership, and technology, questioning whether officers prioritised their safety over the lives of children and teachers.
A state lawmakers’ report two months after the shooting highlighted “egregiously poor decision-making” by law enforcement. A US Justice Department report earlier this year criticised the lack of urgency in establishing a command centre, which caused confusion about leadership. This report also noted problems in training, communication, leadership, and technology, which prolonged the crisis.
While students and teachers made 911 calls from inside classrooms, officers in the hallway struggled to decide their course of action. Parents outside the building pleaded with officers to intervene. Audio and video recordings released last month included 911 calls from students inside the classroom, with one student begging for help and stating, “Please, I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead. Oh, my God.”
The gunman, 18, entered the school at 11:33 a.m., initially firing from the hallway before moving into two adjoining classrooms. Responding officers arrived minutes later but retreated when the gunman opened fire. At 12:50 p.m., a Border Patrol tactical team entered one of the classrooms and killed the gunman.
Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jacklyn Cazares was killed, expressed disappointment that no one was held accountable in the report. Rizo, who is on the Uvalde school board, said he felt let down by the investigation’s outcomes.
Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales face charges of child abandonment and endangerment and have pleaded not guilty. A Texas state trooper suspended after the incident has been reinstated. Last week, Arredondo asked a judge to dismiss the indictment, claiming he was unfairly blamed for the law enforcement failures.
Uvalde police announced that a staff member was placed on paid leave following an internal investigation into additional video footage discovered after last month’s release of audio and video recordings.
Victims’ families have filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting.
What Other Media Are Saying
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection published the findings of its Office of Professional Responsibility’s Critical Incident Review of the CBP response to the Robb Elementary School mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. The investigation found no CBP personnel violated any rules, regulations, or laws, and no disciplinary action was recommended.(read more)
- CNN reports a federal investigation into the Uvalde school shooting, revealing that US Border Patrol agents failed to establish command at the scene, lacked adequate training, and had ineffective leadership, prolonging the crisis unnecessarily.(read more)
- Stripes reports that a federal review of the Uvalde school shooting found Border Patrol missteps without recommending discipline, highlighting inadequate training and command failures leading to delayed response.(read more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions asked about this news
What was the main issue with the Border Patrol agents’ response to the Uvalde school shooting?
They failed to establish command and had insufficient training.
How many students and teachers were killed in the Uvalde school shooting?
19 students and two teachers were killed.
How long did the gunman stay inside the classroom during the Uvalde school shooting?
The gunman was inside the classroom for more than 70 minutes.
What have victims’ families done in response to the law enforcement’s actions during the Uvalde school shooting?
They have filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against law enforcement.
What did the US Justice Department report criticize about the law enforcement response?
It criticized the lack of urgency in establishing a command center.
