The Uvalde Independent School District police force and Uvalde Police Department are no longer cooperating with the investigation by the state’s Department of Public Safety into last Tuesday’s school shooting at Robb Elementary School and the police response to it, ABC News reports.
The news was reportedly revealed by “multiple” law enforcement officials, per ABC News. A Texas DPS spokesperson declined comment to the publication.
The reported lack of cooperation comes after law enforcement officials revealed that police made “the wrong decision” in their delay in confronting the 18-year-old gunman responsible for killing 21 people—including 19 children—at the school. Steven McCraw—director of the Texas Department of Public Safety—previously said the on-site commander on May 24 was “convinced” children were not in danger as the shooting was still taking place. Sources told ABC that the decision to stop cooperating came soon after McCraw’s comments.
As previously shared, the U.S. Department of Justice also announced Sunday that it’ll be launching a review into the law enforcement response to the shooting, as officers waited nearly an hour in the hallway of the school for tactical equipment and the keys to a door from a janitor. Two months before the shooting, law enforcement officials attended an all-day training session hosted by the district focused on “active shooter response.”
“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 first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events,” Justice Department spokesperson Anthony Coley said.
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