It has been analyzing 13,000 pieces of evidence related to the shooting, and has conducted more than 200 interviews with witnesses, law enforcement officials, and other first responders, the department said on Wednesday.
The Justice Department team in charge of reviewing the botched law enforcement response to the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas
The review was announced in June, just days after a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers, and remained in the school for more than an hour while police waited nearby. The department said that no date has yet been set for a release of the review’s findings, but it is expected to be published in the “coming months”. The probe will provide an independent account of the response, identify lessons learned, and provide a road map for the future, it added.
On Wednesday, US Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta visited Uvalde to update families on the review’s progress. She spoke with Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, who requested the federal review last year and later briefed families and community members on the progress of the department’s review. The Critical Incident Review was requested by McLaughlin following conflicting accounts from law enforcement officials on how the events of the day unfolded and growing outrage and questions about the police response to the massacre. Communication failures and a lack of leadership in the chaotic response have since been blamed for why it took authorities 77 minutes to stop the gunman who holed up in two conjoining classrooms – despite a massive turnout from school, city, county, state, and federal law enforcement agencies.
The Justice Department’s probe into the incident began
A team from its Office of Community Oriented Policing Services has visited Uvalde nine times, spending a total of 30 days there, according to the department. The evidence collected is said to include videos and photos as well as interview transcripts and training materials. “Extensive, detailed reviews such as this one take time, and the Department is committed to taking that time to provide an accurate and detailed examination of the events, as well as guidance to other agencies and communities moving forward,” the justice department said in its statement.
The Justice Department also told families it will offer extra support ahead of the one-year mark of the massacre next month, including trauma therapy for those affected and assistance around large gatherings.