WASHINGTON: Texas state lawmakers on Sunday slammed law enforcement's slow response to the shooting in Uvalde, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers, saying more decisive action could have saved lives.
Seventy-three minutes elapsed between the first officers' arrival and the shooter's death, an"unacceptably long period of time".While the report acknowledged it was likely that most of the victims died immediately after the first shots were fired, some died while being transferred to the hospital. Steve McCraw, Texas's public safety chief, has previously described the police response to the attack as an"abject failure", focusing most of his criticism on Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo.
"The scene was chaotic, without any person obviously in charge or directing the law enforcement response."