A grand jury was convened on Friday by a Texas judge to examine potential criminal charges against law enforcement officers who allegedly failed to respond adequately to one of the deadliest school shootings in history at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. This development follows a scathing report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday, highlighting widespread failures in the law enforcement response to the tragic attack on May 24, 2022, which resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers.
The grand jury, assembled in Uvalde County state district court, is expected to review much of the same evidence scrutinized by the Justice Department. The nature of the charges that the grand jury might consider remains uncertain, but potential offenses could include child endangerment or injury to a child under Texas law. Child endangerment involves placing a child 15 or younger “in imminent danger of death” through intentional, knowing, reckless, or criminally negligent actions.
The convening of the grand jury has been underway for weeks, unrelated to the release of the Justice Department’s report. Those providing information about this development to the Austin American-Statesman did so on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Numerous law enforcement agencies, including local city and school district police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and federal agents, responded to the school shooting. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, during a news conference in Uvalde on Thursday, emphasized that immediate intervention by law enforcement officers could have saved lives during the attack.
The Justice Department’s report pinpointed failures in the response, singling out former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo. Arredondo was criticized for not treating the assailant as an active shooter, leading to a 77-minute delay in reaching the victims. The report did not explicitly address the pursuit of criminal charges, leaving such decisions to the district attorney for Uvalde County.
Families of the victims have been grappling with unanswered questions since the tragic event. The Justice Department’s report focused on higher-ranking officials, leaving individual officers unnamed. Garland explained that this was customary in Department of Justice reports. The families, however, expressed frustration, with some questioning why individual officers were not named and their actions scrutinized.
Several victims’ family members commended Garland for the depth of the investigation, acknowledging the empathetic approach. However, lingering concerns persist, especially regarding officers who have not faced public scrutiny. While some officers have been terminated, others remain employed, causing distress among those affected by the shooting.
Addressing community members in Uvalde, Brett Cross, whose son Uziyah “Uzi” Garcia was killed, expressed hope that the Department of Justice’s involvement would prompt a more serious consideration of their concerns. He criticized Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell for not releasing public records that could potentially lead to criminal charges against certain officers.
“I also hope this lights a fire under the district attorney’s a– because we know that she has not done a damn thing, and we refuse to accept that,” Cross declared during the news conference.
As the grand jury process unfolds, the Uvalde community, still grappling with the aftermath of the tragedy, awaits potential criminal charges against law enforcement officers involved in the response to the Robb Elementary School shooting.