Between black crepe and messages of anger and pain painted on cars and stores, Uvalde received President Joe Biden this Sunday, who traveled to the small Texan town five days after the massacre of 19 children and 2 teachers in an elementary school to show his support. to families.
At the entrance of the school, the president and his wife toured the improvised altar for a few minutes from the day of the event with the photos of the victims.
The residents of the town responded with applause and photos to the president's visit.
Blanca Trejo, 67, is one of the neighbors who crossed the street from her house to greet Biden at the school gates.
“We are with him.
But do something about guns.
We need you to convince legislators.
We are still shocked here."
Promoted by Democratic Senator Christopher S. Murphy, a parliamentary commission made up of members of both parties will begin negotiations next week to address greater regulation of the arms market.
Biden continued his visit to Uvalde by attending a mass at a Catholic church to finish meeting with the families of the victims, who will begin celebrating their children's funerals starting Tuesday of next week.
In the stores, many closed, and on the streets of the town you can see posters of support - "We are with you" - but also condemning police work - "shame on the officers who did nothing" -, highly questioned from the beginning. home for families.
The authorities themselves confirmed, after several days of conflicting reports, that the strategy was wrong.
The agents took more than an hour to intervene once the murderer locked himself in two adjoining classrooms armed with a semi-automatic rifle.
In a climate of growing pressure, the Department of Justice announced this Sunday that it will open "an exhaustive investigation" into the operation carried out at the Uvalde school.
“The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help prepare for and respond to mass shooting events,” spokesman Anthony said. Coley.
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