2 years, 5 months ago

Texas state police fire first officer involved in Uvalde shooting response

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy The Texas Department of Public Safety fired an officer Friday who was at the scene of the Uvalde school massacre and becomes the first member of the state police force to lose their job in the fallout over the hesitant response to the May attack. Nearly 400 officers in all eventually made their way to the scene, including state police, Uvalde police, school officers and US Border Patrol agents. Seven Department of Public Safety troopers were put under internal investigation this summer after a damning report by lawmakers revealed that state police has more 90 officers at the scene, more than any other agency. Steve McCraw, the Department of Public Safety director, has called the law enforcement response an “abject failure” but put most of the blame on former Uvalde school police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was fired in August and can be seen on body cam video searching in futility for a key to the classroom door that may been unlocked the entire time.

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History of this topic

3 months, 1 week ago

Former Uvalde school police officers facing charges over failed response to Robb Elementary School shooting back in court

The Independent

3 months, 1 week ago

Former Uvalde schools police chief loses bid to toss criminal charges related to 2022 shooting

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — A Texas judge on Thursday refused to throw out criminal charges accusing the former Uvalde schools police chief of putting children at risk during the slow response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, while a lawyer for his co-defendant said they want to move the upcoming trial out of the small town where the massacre occurred. …

5 months, 3 weeks ago

Officials release more videos of hesitant police response to Uvalde school shooting

Associated Press

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Videos from the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that police originally failed to make public show officers scrambling to treat victims, parents running near the building and dozens of law enforcement agents standing outside Robb Elementary School. Taken together, the footage underlines the hesitant police response in the small South Texas city, where a gunman killed …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Border Patrol response to Uvalde school shooting marred by breakdowns and poor training, report says

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ …

6 months, 2 weeks ago

Federal review of Uvalde shooting finds Border Patrol missteps but does not recommend discipline

Associated Press

U.S. Border Patrol agents who rushed to the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in 2022 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 released Thursday. The roughly 200-page report from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Professional Responsibility does not assign overarching …

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Not all officer video from Texas school shooting was released, Uvalde police say

Associated Press

Not all officer video from the the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022 was given to news organizations following a court order, police said Wednesday as they announced an internal investigation into why the material was not discovered until after a large trove of footage was released over the weekend. A large collection of audio and video recordings from the …

7 months, 2 weeks ago

Uvalde student told 911 ‘I don’t want to die,’ during shooting

Associated Press

DALLAS — As law enforcement officers hung back outside Khloie Torres’ fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde, Texas, she begged for help in a series of 911 calls, whispering into the phone that there were “a lot” of bodies and telling the operator: “Please, I don’t want to die. A lot of people are,” she says, pausing briefly, “gone.” Calls from Khloie …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

Former Uvalde schools police chief says he’s being ‘scapegoated’ over response to mass shooting

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The former police chief of the Uvalde school district said he thinks he’s been “scapegoated” as the one to blame for the botched law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary School shooting, when hundreds of officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman even as children were lying dead and wounded inside adjoining classrooms. Within …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

Former Uvalde schools police chief says he's being 'scapegoated' over response to mass shooting

The Independent

7 months, 3 weeks ago

DPS reinstates Texas Ranger fired for Uvalde shooting response

Raw Story

"DPS reinstates Texas Ranger fired for Uvalde shooting response" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. DPS Director Steve McCraw said in a Friday letter to Christopher Ryan Kindell that Kindell could return to his former position now …

7 months, 3 weeks ago

Texas trooper gets job back in Uvalde after suspension from botched police response to 2022 shooting

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Department of Public Safety has reinstated a state trooper who was suspended after the botched law enforcement response to the shooting at a Uvalde elementary school in 2022. In a letter sent to Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell on Aug. 2 and released by the agency on Monday, DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw removed the …

8 months ago

Uvalde, Texas, school officer pleads not guilty to charges of failing to protect kids during attack

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — A former school police officer who was part of the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges of failing to take action as a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom. One of Gonzales’ attorneys, Nico LaHood, said …

8 months ago

Uvalde school officer charged over actions during Robb Elementary shooting set to appear in court

The Independent

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A former Uvalde school police …

8 months ago

Uvalde, Texas, school officer pleads not guilty to charges of failing to protect kids during attack

LA Times

Former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police officer Adrian Gonzales arrives at the Uvalde County Courthouse on Thursday in Uvalde, Texas. A former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer who was part of the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Thursday. Some of the victims’ families have …

9 months ago

How Charges Against 2 Uvalde School Police Officers Are Still Leaving Families Frustrated

Huff Post

LOADING ERROR LOADING AUSTIN, Texas — Two indictments against former Uvalde, Texas, schools police officers are the first charges brought against law enforcement for the botched response that saw hundreds of officers wait more than an hour to confront an 18-year-old gunman who killed 19 fourth-grade students and two teachers at Robb Elementary. Former Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo …

9 months ago

Texas senator says more Uvalde cops need to face criminal charges over shooting

Raw Story

After two Uvalde cops were charged over their botched response to the mass shooting at Robb Elementary, a Texas state senator says more officers should be charged. Uvalde cops were criticised for not stopping the shooting earlier, particularly when camera footage was released showing officers standing in a hallway while the shooting continued. The incident started at 11:29 a.m., when …

9 months ago

Indictment accuses former Uvalde schools police chief of delays while shooter was ‘hunting’ children

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The police chief for schools in Uvalde, Texas, failed to identify an active shooting, did not follow his training and made critical decisions that slowed the law enforcement response to stop a gunman who was “hunting” victims and ultimately killed 21 people at Robb Elementary, according to an indictment unsealed Friday. Arredondo, 52, and Gonzales, 51, are …

9 months ago

Indictment says Uvalde schools’ ex-police chief delayed as shooter was ‘hunting’ children

LA Times

School Police Chief Pete Arredondo, center, at a news conference outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, two days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers as hundreds of officers waited to respond. The police chief for schools in Uvalde, Texas, failed to identify an active shooting, did not follow his training and made critical decisions that slowed …

9 months ago

Former Uvalde schools police chief indicted over response to mass shooting

LA Times

Reggie Daniels kneels at a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, after the 2022 massacre. The former Uvalde schools police chief and another ex-officer have been indicted over their role in the slow police response to the 2022 massacre at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead, the local sheriff said. A scathing …

9 months ago

Uvalde cops, who stood idle as 21 died, charged with child endangerment

Salon

Families could get some justice now that criminal charges have been brought against a pair of Uvalde shooting responders who took over an hour to jump into action. The police chief of a Uvalde, Texas, school district and an officer who worked at Robb Elementary School have been charged by a Texas grand jury with abandonment and child endangerment after …

10 months, 1 week ago

Families of Uvalde shooting victims sue Texas DPS officers for waiting to confront gunman

Salon

Your donation to The Texas Tribune will help investigative journalism that impacts state policies and politics. Relatives of 17 children killed and two kids injured in Texas’ deadliest school shooting are suing Texas Department of Public Safety officers who were among hundreds of law enforcement that waited 77 minutes to confront the gunman at Uvalde’s Robb Elementary, lawyers announced Wednesday. …

10 months, 1 week ago

Families of Uvalde school shooting victims are suing Texas state police over botched response

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas on Wednesday filed a $500 million federal lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law enforcement response to one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history. “Law enforcement’s inaction that day was a complete and …

10 months, 1 week ago

Families of Uvalde school shooting victims are suing Texas state police over botched response

LA Times

Crosses are surrounded by flowers and other items left at a memorial in 2022 for the victims of the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The families of 19 of the victims in the Uvalde elementary school shooting in Texas on Wednesday announced a lawsuit against nearly 100 state police officers who were part of the botched law …

10 months, 1 week ago

Uvalde victims' families reach settlement with city

Salon

Nearly two years after the harrowing shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas — and the subsequent investigations into police inaction — the families of victims are getting a sliver of justice. In a $2 million settlement with the families of 17 of those killed announced Wednesday, plaintiffs hoped …

1 year ago

'The families deserve more': Uvalde city report clears local officers of wrongdoing

Raw Story

"The families deserve more”: Uvalde city report clears local officers of wrongdoing" was first published by The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans — and engages with them — about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues. UVALDE — A city-commissioned independent review of Uvalde police’s response to the Robb Elementary School shooting cleared local officers …

1 year ago

Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during Robb Elementary shooting resigns

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during the Robb Elementary School shooting submitted his resignation Tuesday, less than a week after a report ordered by the city defended the department’s response to the attack but outraged some family members of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed. Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez was …

1 year ago

A new Uvalde report defends local police. Here are the findings that outraged some families in Texas

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — An independent report commissioned by the City of Uvalde into a deadly 2022 school shooting found that none of the city’s officers violated department policy, infuriating families of some of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed in one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history. City officials hired Prado in July 2022, less …

1 year ago

A new Uvalde report defends local police. Here are the findings that outraged some families in Texas

The Independent

1 year ago

“The families deserve more”: Uvalde city report clears local officers of wrongdoing

Salon

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. UVALDE — A city-commissioned independent review of Uvalde police’s response to the Robb Elementary School shooting cleared local officers of wrongdoing, infuriating parents of the 19 children killed in the massacre and at least two city council members …

1 year ago

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

The Independent

1 year ago

Uvalde parents angered by new report that clears city police of missteps during Texas school attack

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — An investigation Uvalde city leaders ordered into the Robb Elementary School shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers defended the actions of local police in a report released Thursday, prompting shouts of “cowards” during a City Council meeting and causing several family members of the victims to angrily walk out. Uvalde City Council member Hector Luevano …

1 year, 2 months ago

Uvalde families renew demands for police to face charges after scathing Justice Department report

LA Times

Families of the children and teachers killed in the Uvalde, Texas, school massacre are renewing demands for criminal charges after a scathing Justice Department report again laid bare numerous failures by police during one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history. “I’m very surprised that no one has ended up in prison,” said Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma …

1 year, 2 months ago

Justice Department report details how the shooting at a school in Uvalde, Texas, unfolded

Associated Press

UVALDE, Texas — A scathing Justice Department report released Thursday into law enforcement failures during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, includes a minute-by-minute account of missteps by police at the scene. Here is the Justice Department’s reconstruction of the shooting, which is similar to timelines previously offered by authorities: 11:21 a.m. — The gunman, Salvador Ramos, shoots …

1 year, 2 months ago

Justice Department Report Cascading Failures In Uvalde Texas Shooting

Huff Post

Artist Abel Ortiz, second from right, gives Attorney General Merrick Garland, right, and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta, left, a tour of murals of shooting victims, Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024, in Uvalde, Texas. via Associated Press UVALDE, Texas — Police officials who responded to the deadly school shooting in Uvalde, Texas “demonstrated no urgency” in setting up a command post …

1 year, 2 months ago

US Justice Dept says ‘critical failures’ in Uvalde school shooting response

Al Jazeera

Police failed in their response to the 2022 elementary school shooting in Uvalde, Texas that killed 19 children and two teachers, according to a US Department of Justice report. The report cited “critical failures” and faulted law enforcement officers for waiting more than an hour to breach the classroom where the 18-year-old gunman was holed up with students and staff, …

1 year, 2 months ago

“Cascading failures”: DOJ blasts law enforcement’s botched response to Uvalde school shooting

Salon

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. Those assertions came Thursday after the U.S. Justice Department released a withering report into the hundreds of Texas law enforcement officers’ fumbled response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting, finding “cascading failures of leadership, decision-making, tactics, policy …

1 year, 2 months ago

Uvalde shooting: Justice Department to release findings of its review of the school shooting response this week, superintendent says

CNN

CNN — The US Department of Justice plans to release its critical incident review of the law enforcement response to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on Thursday afternoon, according to Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Superintendent Ashley Chohlis. The superintendent told Uvalde school board members at a Monday evening meeting that she had been …

1 year, 3 months ago

Uvalde school shooting evidence won’t go before grand jury this year, prosecutor says

Associated Press

DALLAS — A Texas prosecutor says a criminal investigation into police failures during the Uvalde school shooting will continue into 2024, pushing back expectations that a grand jury would convene before the end of the year. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell said earlier this week that her staff are still examining the halting and haphazard police response to the …

1 year, 9 months ago

Texas Department of Public Safety must release documents related to Uvalde school shooting, judge rules

CNN

CNN — The Texas Department of Public Safety must release records related to last year’s deadly Uvalde elementary school shooting, a district court judge in Austin ruled Thursday. District court judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle ruled in favor of a coalition of media outlets – including CNN – that sued the state department last year, arguing that the department violated state …

1 year, 10 months ago

One year after Uvalde shooting, investigation of police response continues

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — A criminal investigation in Texas over the hesitant police response to the Robb Elementary School shooting is still ongoing as Wednesday marks one year since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde. The investigation has run parallel to a new wave of public anger in the U.S. over gun violence, …

2 years ago

Families of Uvalde victims confront Texas’ police chief

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Family members of victims killed in the Uvalde school shooting confronted Texas’ police chief Tuesday in an emotional end to a day of protests at the state Capitol over gun laws. Velma Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was one of two teachers killed at Robb Elementary School last May, scolded Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve …

2 years, 1 month ago

Texas state police won’t punish more officers over Uvalde

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas state police will not discipline any more of its officers over the Uvalde school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead as heavily armed agents hesitated to confront the lone gunman, a spokesperson confirmed Friday. It also raises new questions about how many of the nearly 400 law enforcement personnel who were at Robb …

2 years, 2 months ago

Uvalde school police chief said cops had 'contained' shooter and didn't need to prioritize disarming him

Raw Story

On Tuesday, CNN reported on newly released comments by Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo to investigators of the law enforcement response to the massacre at Robb Elementary School last year, in which he said that he was more concerned with children in other classrooms than with sending in officers to actually stop the gunman barricaded in one of the …

2 years, 3 months ago

Records reveal medical response further delayed care for Uvalde shooting victims

Salon

Warning note This story includes graphic descriptions of injuries sustained in an elementary school shooting and graphic language. "Had medics gotten to her quickly, there's a good chance she would've survived," said Babak Sarani, director of critical care at George Washington University Hospital. "There's somebody shooting at the school," she said, Ruben Ruiz recalled in an interview with investigators. Officers …

2 years, 3 months ago

Exclusive: Uvalde sheriff had vital information about school shooter that was not shared

CNN

Uvalde, Texas CNN — Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco rushed toward Robb Elementary School when calls came in that a man was firing his gun after crashing his pickup truck on May 24. Woman shot in the head off of Diaz Street by unknown subject,” Nolasco radioed at 11:35 a.m. on May 24 on the sheriff’s office frequency, repeating the …

2 years, 3 months ago

Uvalde shooting victims seek $27B, class action in lawsuit

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — Victims of the Uvalde school shooting that left 21 people dead have filed a lawsuit against local and state police, the city and other school and law enforcement officials seeking $27 billion due to delays in confronting the attacker, court documents show. It seeks class action status and damages for survivors of the May 24 shooting who …

2 years, 3 months ago

Uvalde school shooting victims seek $27bn in class-action lawsuit

Al Jazeera

The lawsuit says officials failed to follow active attacker protocol as they waited more than an hour to confront the attacker. Victims of the Uvalde school shooting that left 21 people dead have filed a lawsuit against local and state police, the city and other school and law enforcement officials seeking $27bn due to delays in confronting the attacker, court …

2 years, 3 months ago

Uvalde sues local prosecutor over school shooting records

Associated Press

AUSTIN, Texas — The city of Uvalde sued the local prosecutor’s office Thursday seeking access to records and other investigative materials on the May shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 19 children and two teachers dead, a move that highlights ongoing tensions over the slow police response and information flow on the rampage. The lawsuit filed in Uvalde County …

2 years, 4 months ago

Acting Uvalde police chief during school shooting steps down

Associated Press

DALLAS — The Uvalde officer who was leading the city’s police department during the hesitant law enforcement response to an elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers has stepped down, a city spokeswoman said. He previously told CNN that his lawyer instructed him not to speak publicly but, “there’s a lot of stuff that I can explain, …

2 years, 4 months ago

Acting Uvalde Police Chief During School Shooting Steps Down

Huff Post

LOADING ERROR LOADING DALLAS — The Uvalde officer who was leading the city’s police department during the hesitant law enforcement response to an elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers has stepped down, a city spokeswoman said Thursday. Pargas is the second police leader to leave law enforcement in the fallout since the massacre in May, when …

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