Uvalde Massacre: An Indelible Stain on the Reputation of Texas Law Enforcement
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw testified before a special committee of the Texas senate Tuesday and provided his assessment of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre of 19 school children and 2 teachers. His remarks condemning the actions of local police on the scene that horrible day were unreserved and devastating, calling them an “abject failure and antithetical to everything we have learned over the past two decades.”
“One hour, 14 minutes and 8 seconds,” said McCraw. “That's how long the children waited and the teachers waited in room 111 to be rescued. And while they waited, the on-scene commander waited for radio and rifles. And he waited for shields, and he waited for SWAT. Lastly, he waited for a key that was never needed.”
“The only thing stopping a hallway of dedicated officers from entering room 111 and 112 was the on-scene commander, who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children,” McCraw said.