A Texas prosecutor says a criminal probe of police errors during the Uvalde school massacre will go until 2024, delaying expectations of a grand jury convening before the end of the year.
Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell stated earlier this week that her office is still investigating the police reaction to the May 2022 shooting, which killed 19 kids and two instructors. Mitchell received preliminary findings from investigators in January, and she previously stated that prosecutors will bring evidence linked to the massacre to a grand jury this year.
The possibility of criminal charges being brought against some of the nearly 400 officers who rushed to Robb Elementary School but waited more than an hour to confront and kill the shooter has hung over Uvalde since state lawmakers accused law enforcement at all levels of failing “to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety.” The problem has split the 15,000-person town, and as the criminal investigation’s duration has lengthened, so has the displeasure of some victims’ relatives with the district attorney.
“She’s just plainly not doing her job,” Velma stated. Lisa Duran, whose sister Irma Garcia was among those slain. “I don’t understand how they expect us to live in a place where there are no consequences.”
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Mitchell did not respond to inquiries from The Associated Press about when she intends to go before a grand jury, the scope of her investigation, or what charges she may be considering.
“My office is still dissecting the Texas Rangers investigation, which is quite voluminous,” she stated in an email response. “Upon our completion of the review of the Rangers investigation, we will then convene a grand jury.”
The Rangers, who are part of the Texas Department of Public Safety, handed their preliminary findings to prosecutors earlier this year. However, Mitchell stated that the agency’s investigation remained, and she told the San Antonio Express-News that she would need until the end of 2023 to make a case to the agency.
Since the incident, cops who gathered outside the school and waited in hallways while the shooter was heard firing an AR-15-style rifle in a classroom have faced significant condemnation. At least five policemen were fired, including two DPS officers and Uvalde’s school police chief, Pete Arredondo, who was the on-site commander throughout the incident.
The continuing inquiry is also expected to prolong court battles over the release of information that might provide a more complete picture of the attack and police reaction.
Last year, Uvalde municipal authorities filed a complaint accusing prosecutors of being opaque and suppressing information linked to the incident. The Associated Press has also sued municipal Uvalde officials for withholding records requested under public information rules. Over the summer, Uvalde’s then-mayor, Don McLaughlin, called for Mitchell’s resignation, claiming she was “involved in a cover-up regarding the city’s investigation into the Robb School tragedy.”
The Department of Public Safety has blocked disclosure, citing Mitchell’s continuing inquiry as the reason. The state’s attorneys challenged a judge’s ruling in November.
Nonetheless, body camera footage, journalist investigations, and a damning report by state lawmakers have revealed how, for more than 70 minutes, a swarm of officers entered and exited the school with weapons drawn but did not enter the classroom where the shooting was taking place. State police, Uvalde police, school officials, and US Border Patrol agents were among the 376 officers on the scene.
Robb Elementary is now permanently shuttered, and the city commenced work on a new school in October. However, Uvalde remains divided between locals who say they want to move on from the tragedy and others who continue to seek answers and accountability.
Locals chose a mayor in November, during the first mayoral election after the tragedy.
Duran, 52, celebrated her sister’s 50th birthday earlier this month. She no longer thinks that justice will be served on Earth for the officers who failed to protect her sister and the officials she believes are protecting them.
“I have faith in God’s wrath,” she remarked.
