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'Systemic failures' in Uvalde school massacre, report finds

Reggie Daniels
Posted at 12:59 PM, Jul 17, 2022
and last updated 2022-07-17 15:59:01-04

UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A report says nearly 400 law enforcement officials rushed to a mass shooting that left 21 people dead at a Uvalde elementary school.

But "systemic failures" created a chaotic scene that lasted more than an hour before the gunman was finally confronted and killed.

It is the first to criticize both state and federal law enforcement, and not just local authorities in Uvalde, Texas, for the bewildering inaction at Robb Elementary School.

The report was written by an investigative committee from the Texas House of Representatives and released to family members Sunday.

According to the nearly 80-page report, the gunman fired approximately 142 rounds inside the building, and it is "almost certain" that 100 shots came before any officer entered.

The Texas Tribune reported that those who responded to the scene included about 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials.

Investigators spoke to more than 40 people in interviews conducted behind closed doors, which included those who were at the school the day of the shooting.

The report's release comes days after the Austin American-Statesman published a hallway surveillance video that showed what was transpiring inside the school and what law enforcement was doing during the shooting.