Texas officials: Uvalde shooting report reveals ‘multiple systemic failures’

A Texas state representative said that a report released by lawmakers on Sunday on the Uvalde, Texas mass shooting reveals “multiple systemic failures.”

Rep. Dustin Burrows, a Republican, made the comments during a press conference following the release of the report released by the Texas House of Representatives Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary School Shooting, stating that “multiple systemic failures” were revealed.

The shooting on May 24 at Robb Elementary School left 19 children and two adults dead.

Burrows said that the Uvalde Police Department who were in Robb Elementary School either knew or should have known that “there was dying in that classroom,” and said they should have acted with more urgency given that it was an active shooter situation, not a barricaded subject. He said that the main goal of police in an active shooter situation is to “stop the killing.”

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Burrows also said that there were many police officers who were at the elementary school and were being given false information.

“In fairness, there were many officers at that scene who were either denied access to the building, we’re told, misinformation, some were even told false information. Some were told that the police chief of the consolidated school Ddstrict was actually inside the room actually negotiating with the shooter, such that they did not know what was happening,” Burrows said.

Burrows said there was a “lack of effective overall command.”

According to the legislature’s report, 376 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting, but added that there was no clear leadership at the scene. It also adds that the law enforcement officers failed to confront the suspect in a timely manner.

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“They failed to prioritize saving the lives of innocent victims over their own safety,” the report said.

The report, released on Sunday, drew from more than 35 witness interviews as well as crime scene pictures, audio, and 911 calls.

Burrows also said that the shooter “fits the profile” of many active shooters, adding that he came from a broken home and struggled in school.

“He fits the profile of many. He came from a broken home with little or no little to no interaction with his father. He struggled in school both academically and socially. He struggled to fit in and eventually became isolated. He networked through his peers with his peers through social media and violent video games in ultimately had a fixation on school shootings and even developed the nickname school shooter,” Burrows said.

The Texas state representative also said that Robb Elementary School was not “adequately prepared” for the risk of a school shooting, and added that he believes this is a wider statewide problem that needs to be looked at.

“The schools five-foot fence was inadequate and three exterior doors were unlocked that day and multiple interior doors were not locked the day of the shooting,” Burrows said.