'How dare you!': Uvalde parents angered by new report that clears police of wrongdoing
UVALDE, Texas - Families of victims in the Uvalde school shooting are outraged at the latest investigative report on the police response to the mass shooting, which basically clears local officers of wrongdoing.
The investigation was carried out by a private investigator who was hired by the city.
Family members and community members in the audience were seen walking out mid-presentation.
Once the presentation was over, the independent investigator left the room, but angry families demanded he come back and listen to their demands during the public comment.
"How dare you! How dare you! You were paid by them. What was that? A deposition?" Kimberly Mata-Rubio said.
Families in Uvalde were left furious Thursday after an outside investigator’s report cleared Uvalde city police of missteps during the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary, in which 19 children and two teachers were killed.
"What good did you do all of us? Nearly two years we have waited for this. What did this do for us? Nothing. And you sit there in a chair next to everybody else who failed us," one speaker said.
"How can he say that they did nothing wrong? I don’t understand that," another speaker said.
Speakers directed their disgust at Jesse Prado, an Austin-based investigator and former police detective who was commissioned by the city council.
Prado stated the department did not commit any wrongdoing or violate any policy.
On May 24, 2022, law enforcement took more than an hour to get inside the classroom and kill the gunman.
"The officers could not see where the rounds were coming from, they just knew the rounds were going through the walls, through the wood, through the doors," Prado said. "And they could not shoot into that room blindly."
A stark contrast to the Department of Justice's investigation, which found massive failures and delays by law enforcement.
Uvalde School Shooting: DOJ report released, finds 'failures,' 'lack of urgency' in response
The Justice Department's investigation into the school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas is set to be released.
Also, a criminal investigation is reportedly underway, with a grand jury considering evidence for possible charges against officers.
Despite defending the police officers’ actions, the independent report did acknowledge rippling failures in the response.
"There were problems all day long with communication, lack of it," Prado said.
In addition to communication, other failures mentioned were lack of training and officers not having the correct keys.
Audience members were visibly upset when the report stated a crowd of families at the front of the school compromised officers during their response.
Prado went on to praise the commanding officers on scene, saying one showed immeasurable strength, focus, and level-headed thinking.
"Even though he was shot at and hit in the ear, his action were all in good faith, sir," Prado said,
"This child was shot, and he sat in there for 77 minutes while those f***** cowards, and you said that was in good faith?" said Brett Cross, who lost a son in the school shooting.
Council members Hector Luevano and Ernest King spoke up after public comment, saying they were insulted by the report and this was the first time they heard it.
"They deserve a thorough investigation, a thorough explanation. I’m sorry, but I don’t accept this report without further explanation and y’all shouldn’t either," Luevano said.
"I’ve been sitting here and shaking for the last hour because I am so pissed off with what happened today, and I know you guys are too," King added.