Texas Committee Report on Uvalde Shooting Details ‘Systemic Failures and Egregious Poor Decision Making’

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Uvalde police response bodycam
Uvalde report bocycam image

Other than the attacker, the Committee did not find any “villains” in the course of its investigation. There is no one to whom we can attribute malice or ill motives. Instead, we found systemic failures and egregious poor decision making. We recognize that that the impact of this tragedy is felt most profoundly by the people of Uvalde in ways we cannot fully comprehend. …

l. Uvalde CISD’s active shooter policy called for Uvalde CISD Police Chief Arredondo to be the incident commander in any active shooter response.

i. Chief Arredondo was one of the first responders to arrive at the west building.

ii. In the initial response to the incident, Chief Arredondo was actively engaged in the effort to “stop the killing” up to the point when the attacker was located in Rooms 111 and 112, and the attacker fired on responding officers.

iii. By this time, there were dozens of officers on the scene, but Chief Arredondo did not assume his preassigned responsibility of incident command, which would have entailed informing other officers that he was in command and also leaving the building to exercise command, beginning with establishing an incident command post.

iv. Instead, he remained in the hallway where he lacked reliable communication with other elements of law enforcement, and he was unable to effectively implement staging or command and control of the situation.

m. Over the course of the next hour, hundreds of law enforcement officers arrived at the scene.

i. The scene was chaotic, without any person obviously in charge or directing the law enforcement response.

ii. To the extent any officers considered Chief Arredondo to be the overall incident commander, they also should have recognized that was inconsistent with him remaining inside the building.

iii. There was an overall lackadaisical approach by law enforcement at the scene. For many, that was because they were given and relied upon inaccurate information. For others, they had enough information to know better.

n. Despite obvious deficiencies in command and control at the scene which should have been recognized by other law enforcement responders, none approached Chief Arredondo or any of the officers around him or subordinate to him to affirmatively offer assistance with incident command.

o. Chief Arredondo and the officers around him at the south end of the building were focused on gaining access to the classrooms (through use of a breaching tool, a key, or other means) and protective equipment for officers (through rifle-rated ballistic shields, flashbangs, etc.).p. Meanwhile, dozens of law enforcement officers were assembling in the hallway on the north side of the building, stacking up for an assault on the classrooms, and mostly waiting for further instructions pending the arrival of protective gear and breaching equipment.

p. Meanwhile, dozens of law enforcement officers were assembling in the hallway on the north side of the building, stacking up for an assault on the classrooms, and mostly waiting for further instructions pending the arrival of protective gear and breaching equipment.

q. While 911 received communications from victims inside Rooms 111 and 112, Chief Arredondo did not learn about it because of his failure to establish a reliable method of receiving critical information from outside the building.

r. Eventually, Chief Arredondo came to understand there probably were casualties inside Rooms 111 and 112. Even if he had received information of surviving injured victims in the classrooms, it is unclear that he would have done anything differently to act “more urgently.”

s. U.S. Marshals provided a rifle-rated shield and it arrived around 12:20 p.m., approximately 30 minutes before the classroom was finally breached. While officers acted on the assumption that the doors to Rooms 111 and 112were locked, as they were designed to be, nobody tested that assumption.

t. While officers acted on the assumption that the doors to Rooms 111 and 112 were locked, as they were designed to be, nobody tested that assumption.

u. Room 111′s door probably was not effectively locked shut.

v. Chief Arredondo did not actually exercise tactical incident command over the BORTAC team, nor did the BORTAC team seek instruction from Chief Arredondo.

w. By the time the BORTAC team breached the classrooms, the tactical command inside the building had been de facto assumed by BORTAC.

x. Acting on effectively the same information available to Chief Arredondo, including an assumption of injured victims in the room, the BORTAC commander on scene waited until arranging a rifle-rated shield and obtaining a working master key before attempting to breach the classrooms.

y. The Committee has not received medical evidence that would inform a judgment about whether breaching the classroom sooner than the approximately 73 minutes that passed between the first responders’ initial arrival at the west building and their eventual breach of the classrooms could have been saved lives or mitigated injuries.

i. As described above, it is likely that most of the deceased victims perished immediately during the attacker’s initial barrage of gunfire.

ii. However, given the information known about victims who survived through the time of the breach and who later died on the way to the hospital, it is plausible that some victims could have survived if they had not had to wait 73 additional minutes for rescue.

Interim report from the Texas House investigative committee report on the Uvalde school shooting

53 COMMENTS

  1. I watched and it seems to me that government is performing government things. I get a feeling there will be little consequences for the cowardice shown and instead lots and lots of reform, all in the name of public safety. We want heads on pikes. If LEO’s don’t have to respond we don’t need them or have to follow their orders our on the street.

      • And to think this all could have been averted had the school employees simply followed established Safety Protocols and kept all exterior and interior doors locked. The Safety protocols were Not followed for the convenience of teachers and substitute teachers to retrieve forgotten items in the vehicles or hadn’t been issued keys.

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  2. This is exactly why I have a handgun on me and 4 spare mags in my bag while at work in a place where guns are prohibited by policy, not by law. This is exactly why I carry a gun, legally or not, everyplace where I do not have to go through metal detectors or submit to search.

    • I carry four mags in my EDC, used to be two with one in the holder and one in the gun. Now three in the holders, one in the gun. But after looking around at the general lawlessness increase and it accelerating (especially with a doubling of violent criminal knife attacks from groups of three or more in the last few months), seriously considering adding a fifth magazine now – plus stand off defense by handgun always needs more ammo no matter how good you are.

      • Consider adding a second gun. Having unlimited ammo may be false security if the only gun you pack picks that day to not work.

      • Too bad school personell wasn’t prepared in the least. After all there was a timeframe between the perp crashing his vehicle and making his way to the school. Incompetence and ho hum attitudes allowed that entire timeframe to go to waste.

        Protecting school children begins with vigilant parents seeing to it those on point and in charge of the schoolhouse and defenseless children are prepared to handle an intruder. The aforementioned adults need to be held accountable before the scrutenizing the police show began.

      • I carry three, one in the gun and two spares. I’ve though about adding two more, but damn, SIG is sure proud of their P365 Magazines.

  3. “The Committee has not received medical evidence that would inform a judgment about whether breaching the classroom sooner than the approximately 73 minutes that passed between the first responders’ initial arrival at the west building and their eventual breach of the classrooms could have been saved lives or mitigated injuries.”

    You mean stopping the shooter firing during those 73 minutes of doing nothing to stop the shooter isn’t enough of a clue?

    • Calling BS on “The Committee has not received medical evidence that would inform a judgment about whether breaching the classroom sooner than the approximately 73 minutes that passed between the first responders’ initial arrival at the west building and their eventual breach of the classrooms could have been saved lives or mitigated injuries.” too.

      The two teachers who were shot and died?
      They were NOT the last ones shot by the POS shooter. FACT!

      One died in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. FACT!

      The other died while being operated on at the hospital. FACT!

      Time NOT a mitigating factor?
      Pure, unadulterated BS in the truest form!

      Whiner, AH, and lil’dtard would be proud to spew BS of that magnatude here on TTAG.

      • Wasn’t the shitbag still shooting kids for several minutes while the ballistic shields/waiting for key actions were taken or am I mixing up the order of events?

  4. that last paragraph though.
    the kids who repeatedly made calls probably weren’t dead.

  5. They found no villains. What about criminals that allowed more kids and teachers to be shot and bleed out?

    • Root Cause, Don’t forget the school employees who violated established Safety Protocols by leaving exterior and interior doors unlocked. Out of a want for convenience in order to retrieve articles from their vehicles or hadn’t been issued keys in the case of substitute teachers. Instead of entering through the main entrance has was defined in the School’s Safety Protocol.

  6. Notice how no one is calling for a ban on bullying or teasing. They say if he wouldn’t of had access to guns this wouldn’t of happened. Guess what, if he hadn’t been bullied or teased or abused this wouldn’t of happened. If you drive a person crazy he/she is going to do crazy things.

    • They support bullying while heartedly.
      The difference is that 30 years ago a kid would get bullied for being gay. Today you bulky kids for not being gay. 30 years ago you’d tease a kid for driving a Ford Fiesta. Today you tease a kid for driving an F150.

      Social media,virtue signalling and all the wokey causes pushed by the mainstream today are nothing less than accepted and expected bullying.

  7. That coward on the right (see pic) needs to stop skipping “leg days”.

    Maybe less time in the tattoo parlor and more time in the gym. 🤔

    • RE: Tattoos. Tattoos are at best a SIGN OF BAD JUDGEMENT.

      Bad Judgement is not a fabulous personal characteristic for a cop. Or anyone else.

  8. “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you. Just give me a couple of hours.”

    • Its not in this story (link above), but she wasn’t the only hero there. An off duty border patrol officer with a borrowed shot gun he got from his barber (he was getting a haircut when this happened) talked two cops there into going with him. They entered the school despite orders to the contrary and other cops trying to stop them and rescued dozens.

    • That off-duty border patrol is a hero, to be sure. He would have been an even greater hero if he had confronted Arredondo in the hallway, and assumed command of the immediate tactical situation. I wouldn’t care much if he had to shoot Arredondo to get him out of the way.

      The man must be mentally kicking himself today for leaving the fat fool in charge.

      • Well. Thst border patrol officer was too busy rescuing people, too busy to play politics and too busy to compensate for cowardice and incompetence of others.

  9. There was a time when those that showed cowardice on the battlefield were executed. Or they were expected to commit suicide. Now they are allowed to retire and collect a pension. Or they’re allowed to just quit. And get a job at another department doing the exact same thing.

    Disarm the police. There is no rationale or moral reason for them to be armed. Issue them nightsticks and the training to use them. Perhaps some day they can prove themselves worthy enough to be issued a gun.

    It is only the morally degenerate who want to stop teachers and School staff from being able to carry guns. And it is only the morally degenerate who want to stop parents, from carrying guns onto school property as they escort their own children to and from school.

    The officers on scene should have disobeyed orders and gone in, with guns blazing and kill this guy. And save as many children and their teachers as possible.

    • No nightsticks. In the wrong hands they can be deadly, worse they can cause perminant brain injury and you live.

  10. The more that surfaces regarding Uvalde the more pissed off ALL people, regardless of their political positions, should get. The stumble-fucks milling aimlessly in the corridor for an hour should be fired…period…full stop.

    G_d bless the BORTAC members who finally arrived on scene and took action regardless of the “perceived” chain of command. The US Border Patrol works in some of the most inhospitable terrain in the continental United States. They are habitually used as pawns and scapegoats by political factions that seek to destroy the Republic and the Constitution that defines the United States. Their morale is at an all-time low because Brainless Joe and Co are actively preventing them from doing their sworn duty. If you are at all interested in knowing where the baby formula and Tampax are try checking the supply rooms at any of the massive alien processing centers along the southern border. Joey is making sure that the illegal aliens demanding admittance are given plenty of whatever they need for their new lives as Democrat voters.

  11. Plausible? It is plausible that some of the victims might have survived? Christ on a crutch, that is the understatement of the year! Probably the decade.

    If those first six officers had pushed, instead of chickening, opened that door, and rushed inside, it is a near CERTAINTY that some of the victims would have survived.

    Those children who continued to call 911 on their cell phones are primary candidates. They survived ten minutes, fifteen minutes, thirty minutes WITHOUT MEDICAL ATTENTION! With immediate medical attention, each of those children had chances of surviving. I can’t possibly say how good their chances of survival were, but they each had chances of surviving. That’s just the low hanging fruit. It’s impossible for anyone to say with any surety, but some of those children who were initially injured probably could have been saved, despite the fact they made no phone calls or anything.

    Plausible my arse. Arredondo is guilty of negligent homicide, at the least.

  12. “Other than the attacker, the Committee did not find any “villains” in the course of its investigation.”

    Some investigation… Makes the J6 “Hearings” look like a real deal. Ditto the “investigation” into Russian collusion. As well as Comey’s BS, that from Wray, the Hunter B laptop, Joe B never discussing “buisness” with Hunter, on and on.

    We, the voters and citizens, need to completely purge these idiot leaders and followers, regardless of level of government. It needs to be done via the ballot process and it needs to start now.

    We’ve allowed our elected officials to become rich by insulating themselves from performing their sworn duties, the most important of which is to protect and defend the Constitution of the US or the state in which they were elected to represent The People.

    Along with dumping them unceremoniously, there also needs to be a manner to recoup that wealth that was acrued beyond their salaries and returned to the taxpayers. If nothing else, have the IRS confiscate their bribery gains. How to reign in the IRS can come after the purge and confiscation of assets.

    • We can’t dump idiot leaders, until we purge the voting rolls of idiot voters.

      Seriously, WTF actually votes for representatives who promise to deprive the voter of his constitutional rights? From Biden on down through governors, mayors, and city council members, anyone who advocates for gun control should be run out of office, and forbidden to ever hold office again.

      If voters weren’t idiots, idiot politicians would have been run out of office decades ago.

      • “If voters weren’t idiots, idiot politicians would have been run out of office decades ago.“

        Actually, Iowa has done quite well in ridding ourselves of the pols you’re referring to about 6 years back. Good conservatives control/dominate both our state reps/senate, the governor’s mansion and we’ll likely toss our last democrat US Rep in Nov. Then we’ll need to work on Joni Ernst who voted with the other females in the US Senate on Cornyn/Murphy.

        Longer memories out here on flyover, lots of BS but it remains in the pasture for the most part.

        Too bad about your state. I guess the choice is take the easy cynicism route or actually get up, find sane, like-minded folk who can reasonably communicate with intelligent, thigh often-mislead others and set about trying to fix things.

        After 45+ years of activism I can attest how hard it is to actually get the majority of POTG to commit publicly to anything. The majority just seem to hunker down with their other antisocial pals, drink cheap beer and bitch. We get what we deserve, or at least actively work for, in the end. How do you think the progressives took things this far? Cynicism had nothing to do with it

      • Reality is for those who can’t handle drugs.
        See your doctor, results may vary.

        This message approved by the AMA. 👍

  13. If I were an Ulvade citizen/parent I’d want some payback. (and I dont mean money)
    Them cops and high ups can jabber sht all they want.

  14. If you have to he ability to stop the threat and then refuse to then you are part of the threat. To say nothing about the duty you are charged with as a LEO, SWAT, or school official.

    We have 22 year olds walking our malls with a better sense of moral responsibility.

  15. I saw the video and it was a deal clusterflock to be sure. THer was absolutely no need for more than three of four Officers at the most to enter the buildin. After all onlyb those at point would have been in any positioin to open fire. Any of the other dozen [twenty] or so opening fire would have seeing the vidoe cause more collateral.
    I do not know the actual standard procedures in the USA, or even if there are ‘standard’ procedures but once the shooting starts there is, to me, no point in waiting around. . In goes the bloody door in goes the Flash Bang and in go TWO Officers only. Do not tell me that two hefty guys could not have take a bloody school door down!.
    However it says a lot aboubt the American Character when they feel it nessessary and perfectly AOK to LOCK CLASSROOM DOORS to preven mad gunmen from slaughtering their children does it not? And yet, at the same time accept, and even encourage the unlimited possession of completely unnessessary firearms because of to me, some whimsical interpretation of the American Constitution. Only in the USA!

  16. ‘Systemic Failures and Egregious Poor Decision Making’, this is what they want us to believe.
    The whole thing was orchestrated by FBI and Deep State in order to disarm US citizens.

  17. How is this so much different than the ALERRT report/assessment that was released?
    Feels like to me the governmental “old boys club” is doing their best to protect each other.

    As far as saying there is no evidence of the 73 minutes making a difference in the saving of lives of those wounded and held captive in the classroom…..seriously….do we really need a scientific study to employ common sense to know that getting someone to a appropriate medical facility after being shot – and the sooner the better – matters….well, I’m sort of at a loss for words how they could even put that into a report and expect anyone to respect the opinion of ANYTHING in that report just from that one statement.

    ‘m no combat veteran, but I am someone who has trained since I was 10 years old in various methods of self defense and medical treatments. The first thing you do in these situations is stop the bleed / stabilize on site and call in the appropriate medical teams (EMT/ambulance crews) to get on site and to the trauma center ASAP as seconds do matter.

    • I would actually be surprised at this point if there wasn’t on site catering called in.

  18. Vote the Sheriff, the D.A. & the mayor & the city/county Council out of office, no matter which party they are in & the town will never have this problem again!
    Let the political blood flow through the streets & all will learn who the people are.

  19. Since most public school teachers are liberals who recoil in fear at the picture of a firearm let alone seeing a real one, they are next to useless against an active shooter. The first step is to abolish “gun-free school zones” which are actually criminal shooter safety zones. Those unstable individuals KNOW that the schools are weapons-free and use that to their advantage. It is long overdue to take that “advantage” away from them.
    The next step…hire veterans as janitors and maintenance personnel, deputize and arm them. Janitors and maintenance personnel have the run of the buildings, have access facility-wide and KNOW where the hiding spots are.
    Hiring (non-law enforcement) veterans–NOT law enforcement, is the key.
    Today’s “law enforcement” and “school resource officers” personnel consider their own lives and their pensions and retirement to be more important than that of the students (victims) and will almost always choose to “run the other way” or “cower and cover in fear”, while us veterans are trained to run TOWARD the sound of gunfire.
    “Law enforcement” and “school resource officers” are useless in school shootings. Almost every school shooting was responded to by “law enforcement” waiting for the shooting to stop–NOT ACCEPTABLE–PERIOD!

  20. The FBI was probably involved. They are involved in most mass shooting (example – the Las Vegas mass shooting – the shooter, his wife, and the supposed security guard were sleeper cells for the FBI). The FBI are the Gestapo for the D.C. swamp that want an excuse to take away our 2nd Amendment and our guns.

  21. I discussed this crime with a mother of a school aged child, she’s in favor of armed defense in schools, HOWEVER not in OUR school. “You can’t have firearms around little children”. I said if you can’t trust those people, armed, around your child how can you trust them at all? It’s just like the NIMBY crowd, it may be good, but not here.

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