Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday detailed a Justice Department (DOJ) investigation into the police response to the deadly shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
Garland announced that a nine-member team will conduct the review under the leadership of the DOJ’s Office of Community Orientated Policing Services. The team will include multiple former law enforcement officials who have experience investigating a mass shooting or leading a police department in its aftermath.
“Nothing these folks can do can undo the terrible tragedy that occurred and that we are just heartbroken about, but we can assess what happened and we can make recommendations,” Garland said.
He said DOJ is undertaking a “critical incident review” of the law enforcement response following a request from Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.
A gunman killed 19 students and two teachers late last month at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde in the deadliest school shooting since the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut in 2012. Police initially received praise for neutralizing the gunman but soon after began facing sharp criticism for their delay in confronting him. The shooter was in the school for about an hour before police engaged and killed him.
Garland noted on Wednesday that the DOJ probe is not a criminal investigation and will be similar to investigations done after shootings in San Bernardino, California and the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida.
He said the investigation will be comprehensive and transparent, and the team will produce a final report, which will include its findings and recommendations, that will be made public. He said the team will visit the school, and conduct interviews of witnesses, law enforcement officers, school and government officials, and family members.
He said “every level of law enforcement” has welcomed the DOJ investigation, and officials do not expect “any problems.”
Pete Arredondo, the chief of Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police who oversaw the initial response to the shooting, has faced calls for accountability as it has been reported that he made the decision for police to wait for backup before engaging the suspect while students were still in harm’s way.
Arredondo has reportedly declined or not returned interview requests from news outlets in the past week, and ABC News reported last week that the department was no longer cooperating with Texas state officials’ investigation.
Arredondo later told CNN that he was “in contact” with state authorities.
Garland on Wednesday added that the DOJ “stands ready” to support bipartisan negotiations that members of Congress are currently holding to try to reach a deal on gun legislation. A team of nine senators from both parties is meeting to discuss proposals like raising the age to purchase certain weapons from 18 to 21 and incentivizing states to pass red flag laws, which allow those around an individual to petition for their firearms to be temporarily removed if they might pose a threat to themselves or others.
–Updated at 1:45 p.m.