Justice Department announces review of police response to Texas school shooting

The Department of Justice said Sunday it will review the law enforcement response to the mass shooting that killed 19 school children and two adults in Uvalde, Texas.

Justice Department spokesman Anthony Coley said the critical incident review was requested by Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.

“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,” Mr. Coley said.

The DOJ announced the review as President Biden and first lady Jill Biden visited Uvalde to grieve with families of survivors and victims.

Grief over the shootings is paired with anger over the police response. Local officers did not enter the classroom for over an hour minutes after the shooter entered the school, as on-scene commanders determined they faced a barricaded subject and not an active shooter.

Officers in the hallway waited for a key to the affected classroom before an elite border-patrol unit stormed in and killed the shooter.  

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The federal review will be conducted by the DOJ’s Office of Community Oriented Policing.

“As with prior Justice Department after-action reviews of mass shootings and other critical incidents, this assessment will be fair, transparent, and independent,” Mr. Coley said. “The Justice Department will publish a report with its findings at the conclusion of its review.”