What is a critical incident review? Department of Justice set to probe police response to Texas Elementary school shooting

Police in Uvalde, Texas, are facing rising criticism for their slow response time to the Robb Elementary school shooting, in which alleged gunman Salvador Ramos killed 19 students and 2 teachers.

As additional information about the attack becomes public, it has been reported that it took Texas authorities more than 45 minutes to enter the school and neutralize the alleged gunman. In light of what has been perceived as a lackluster response, the US Department of Justice has announced that it will investigate local authorities' response.

As a result, a Critical Incident Review is being conducted. The incident will be investigated thoroughly by the Justice Department, and any improvements that can be made in the event of another mass shooting will be explored.

The response of Texas authorities

On May 24, 2022, Salvador Ramos allegedly shot his grandmother before making his way to Robb Elementary school in his SUV. After crashing his vehicle, he entered the premises and attacked students and staff armed with an AR-15 and a handgun. This devastating incident is now recognized as the bloodiest school shooting in Texas history.

According to the Business Standard, the Texas Department of Public Safety stated on Friday that the attack lasted approximately 90 minutes from beginning to end. 45 minutes into the attack, 19 officers from various branches of law enforcement were waiting outside the classroom the alleged attacker was in. However, despite this, it took another 45 minutes before officers were provided a key. It was only then that they entered the room and engaged Ramos in a firefight, killing him.

Lt. Chris Olivarez, a Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson, described the attack on the Today show.

He said:

“(The alleged gunman was) able to make entry into a classroom, (where he) just began shooting numerous children and teachers in that classroom, having no regard for human life.”

In an official statement to press, Department of Public safety director Steve McCraw acknowledged that law enforcement had mishandled the situation. The New York Times reported that the authorities were under the impression that the alleged gunman was not actively shooting students as they surrounded the classroom. The commanding officer in charge of neutralizing the incident, Pete Arredondo, falsely believed the alleged gunman had barricaded himself, supposedly allowing authorities time to await further orders.

McCraw said:

“The decision was made that this was a barricaded subject, there was time to retreat the kids and wait for a tactical team.”

He later added:

“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course it was not the right decision. It was the wrong decision. Period.”

Police came under further scrutiny as various spokespeople and administrative figures presented contradictory accounts of the event. Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez said in a statement on May 26 that the authorities were swift to respond.

He said:

“It is important for our community to know that our officers responded in minutes.”

Former Austin and Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo also commented on the incident, writing in a Tweet that officers should be quick to confront active shooters.

“We don’t have all of the particulars now, but when gunfire is ringing out, police are trained, expected, and required to engage, engage, engage. This is a moral and ethical obligation.”

With contradictory accounts, the failure of local police has led not only to outrage among American citizens and Uvalde locals, but has alsolaunched a formal federal investigation.

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Texas authorities under investigation

In an official Statement, United States Department of Justice spokesperson Anthony Coley announced the details of the investigation.

Coley said:

“At the request of Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, the U.S. Department of Justice will conduct a Critical Incident Review of the law enforcement response to the mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.”

He continued:

“The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events. The review will be conducted with the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing.”

CBS reported that in a statement to the Press, Mayor McLaughlin thanked the Justice Department for carrying out the review of Uvalde authorites.

He said:

“I trust the assessment will be fair, transparent and independent.”

Representative Val Demings, a former Orlando Police Chief and current member of Congress, vocalized her support for the review.

She said:

“Since there were so many agencies involved on the ground, it’s important that we know, was there any discussion about going in, those 19 officers who we were told were in the hallway, was there any discussion between other commanders from other departments?”

As the country recovers from the tragedy, officials are uncertain about the motivations of the alleged gunman. However, the incident has sparked heated debates surrounding gun control, mental health and the failure of Texas authorities in dealing with the incident.

While the Maricopa County Attorney states that it is normal for police shootings to be investigated, they are typically carried out in order to determine whether or not the force was justified. In this case, however, authorities are being accused of being too apprehensive to engage.

As per an official report by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the attack on Robb Elementary school stands as the third deadliest school shooting in American history, following the Sandy Hook Massacre in 2012, as well the mass shooting at Virginia Tech in 2007.