Two months after the horrific massacre at a school in Uvalde, Texas, which left 21 dead, an investigative report blames “systemic errors and blatant wrong decisions” for the hesitant police action. Although nearly 400 officers were on duty, the perpetrator was only overpowered after 75 minutes.
“They have failed to put the rescue of innocent victims above their own safety,” the Texas Tribune quoted the report as saying. Many of the first responders were better trained and equipped than the school district police. They could have helped deal with the spreading chaos, the paper quoted as saying from the investigative report.
Attackers killed 19 students and two teachers
The report on the May 24 police action was written by a commission of inquiry in the Texas House of Representatives and distributed to family members on Sunday. An 18-year-old gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in the small town. The attacker shot the children and teachers of Robb Elementary School with an assault rifle.
The police have been criticized for their hesitant intervention. Afterwards, she repeatedly changed her statements about the state of affairs. In the end, it turned out that the police only overpowered the perpetrator about 75 minutes after arrival.
Video released last week by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper shows police taking cover for 77 minutes in a hallway before storming into the two connected classrooms to contain the gunman. In May, preliminary research found that children in classrooms called 911 at least six times while emergency services waited in the hallway.
Police: no one knew who was in charge
The mistakes made are not due to a lack of counselors, but to a lack of leadership skills and effective communication. Several police officers described the scenes at the crime scene as chaotic and did not know who was in charge. No one took the initiative and took command, it said.
The worst school shooting in nearly a decade had horrified the United States and rekindled discussions about tougher gun laws.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
