U.S. Justice Department Will Review Police Response to Uvalde Shooting

The U.S. Department of Justice announced a forthcoming review of the police response during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.

The controversial police response during the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas has been brought to the light just days after occurring last Tuesday (May 24). After Steven McGraw, director of Texas Department of Public Safety acknowledged that officers made "the wrong decision" during the shooting, on Sunday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it would be conducting a review of the Uvalde Police Department. McGraw said that police officers stood in the school hallway for nearly an hour while the now-deceased shooter, Salvador Ramos, barricaded himself in a classroom. During that time, officers were waiting for tactical equipment and keys to the classroom that were given by the school's janitor.

Two months prior to the shooting, the Uvalde school districe hosted an all-day active shooter training session for local police and law enforcement officials, according to ABC News.

"First responders to the active shooter scene will usually be required to place themselves in harm's way," read the training course description. "Time is the number-one enemy during active shooter response. ... The best hope that innocent victims have is that officers immediately move into action to isolate, distract or neutralize the threat, even if that means one officer acting alone."

Now, the Justice Department seeks to know why this training wasn't utilized during the Robb Elementary School shooting.

“The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events,” said Justice Department spokesperson, Anthony Coley.

“As with prior Justice Department after-action reviews of mass shootings and other critical incidents, this assessment will be fair, transparent, and independent,” Coley continued. “The Justice Department will publish a report with its findings at the conclusion of its review.”