Justice Dept. to Review Response to Texas School Shooting
SnopesAPR 2022
The parents and children of Uvalde were utterly failed by authorities. Every second counts in shooter situations, and the delayed response by police almost certainly cost lives. Police conduct during the response - which ran contrary to well-established active shooter protocol - demands scrutiny and accountability.
While the police's actions were clearly a botched incident response, there is no statute that holds them liable for the deaths. This wasn't a matter of bad policy that needs reforming; it was a simple case of the chief of police making an incorrect assessment about the shooter, leading to incorrect tactics being followed. While the consequences were tragic, there was no intentional deprivation of civil rights.