From The Texas Newsroom:
It’s been four months since a shooter entered Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School and killed 19 kids and two teachers.
Since then, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the U.S. Department of Justice, a Texas House committee and the Uvalde District Attorney have launched investigations into law enforcement’s response.
But the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has yet to investigate how the district’s school resource officers responded to the attack.
“Yesterday, it was 18 weeks since the shooting, and the school district has done absolutely nothing,” Brett Cross, the uncle and legal guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, told The Texas Newsroom on Wednesday. “They haven’t checked into the officers. It’s like they don’t care.”
This prompted Cross, a group of parents and some community members to protest outside the school district’s headquarters. As of 1 p.m. on Wednesday, the ongoing demonstration surpassed the 28-hour mark.
They are demanding accountability and an investigation into UCISD school resource officers.
The parents are also asking that the officers be suspended until such an investigation is concluded.
Still here. This is the set up for the night. I told UCISD I wasn’t going anywhere. pic.twitter.com/A4axIDqeuy
— Brett Cross (@BCross052422) September 28, 2022
According to an investigation by the Texas House, 376 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting before the gunman was killed. Officers had pistols, rifles and body armor. Still, they waited over an hour to confront the 18-year-old shooter.
Five Uvalde CISD officers responded to the scene.
“We have to look at the people that sat outside in that hallway for 77 minutes while our children were screaming, calling 911 and bleeding out,” Cross said. “And they go around to the schools where these children, siblings and best friends still attend, so they have to look at these cops as well.”
A spokesperson for Uvalde CISD did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is @GloriaCazares82. 77 minutes, that’s how long her daughter Jackie waited to be saved from Robb Elementary to get help. She let @Uvalde_CISD know how long 77 minutes feels. @ksatnews pic.twitter.com/v5a1O7EfMc
— Leigh Waldman (@LeighWaldman) September 28, 2022
During a school board meeting last month, Uvalde CISD Superintendent Hal Harrell told parents the district was planning on conducting an investigation, but the status of that is unclear.
Uvalde students resumed classes on Sept. 6 and some of the officers who responded to the Robb Elementary shooting were in charge of guarding the schools this semester, KENS5 reported.
Troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety have also been deployed to the schools in Uvalde, and Harrell said his officers were going to serve in a “support role,” CNN reported last month.
Cross, the Uvalde parent, said he will continue protesting until Harrell launches an investigation.
“We went to every school board meeting, we went to every City Council meeting. It’s just been a fight,” Cross said. “And we’re not asking anymore, we’re demanding now.”
