A “
chaotic ” situation, an absence of command, “
apathetic
” agents
: a Texan parliamentary inquiry pinned down on Sunday all the police services involved in the response to the killing in the Uvalde school, which left 21 dead on May 24.
According to this report, which refuses to incriminate some police officers rather than others, the police “
did not respect their training
” and “
did not place the lives of innocent victims before their own safety.
".
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A total of 376 officers - border guards, state and city troopers, local sheriff's departments and elite forces - responded to
Robb Elementary School
, House of Representatives officials reveal. Texas in a preliminary investigation report.
But between the arrival of the first police and the death of the killer, 73 minutes elapsed, an "
unacceptable
" delay linked to "
an absence of command which could have contributed to the loss of life
", they write.
Although it is '
probable that most of the victims perished immediately after the first shots
', some died on their way to hospital and it is '
plausible
' that they could have survived had they been rescued further. Quick, they say again.
Texas Public Safety Director Steven McCraw previously called
law enforcement's response
an "absolute failure,
" focusing his criticism on Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who has since been suspended.
"
He did not assume his responsibility as commander
" and he made errors of analysis because he did not have all the information, also believe the Texan parliamentarians.
But no one offered to help or replace him, they note: '
the attitude of all officers was apathetic
', '
the scene was chaotic, with no one clearly in charge or leading the answer
”.
Their conclusions were presented to the relatives of the victims who, for weeks, regretted the lack of transparency of the authorities, suspected of wanting to conceal the failures of the police.
Criticism had increased after the publication this week of a near excruciating video showing the shooter arriving at the scene with an assault rifle, then the long wait for officers in a school hallway.
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