UVALDE, Texas — Officers who responded to the mass school shooting in Uvalde were ordered to testify before a grand jury Wednesday. They were asked to provide information on the flawed response.
It took officers 77 minutes from when the gunman entered Robb Elementary School for them to go inside a classroom and confront the gunman, despite continued calls from children to 911 as they were trapped with the shooter.
The district attorney called this grand jury a day after the Department of Justice released its findings last month that the shooting response was a failure.
Families hope this is the path to the accountability they were asking for.
"Charge these individuals that sat out there while our babies were sitting there and bleeding out," said Richard Cross, whose son, Uziyah Garcia, was killed in the shooting.
It's not clear if those who appeared were witnesses or part of the criminal investigation.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw was among those who testified.
The grand jury will decide if charges will be brought against law enforcement officers for their response to the massacre. The gunman killed 19 students and 2 teachers in the 2022 shooting. More than 300 officers responded.
McCraw’s testimony comes after District Attorney Christina Mitchell convened a grand jury to investigate the police response.
Several people in uniform and out of uniform were seen going in and out of the Fairplex. Sheriff’s vehicles, police and the Office of Emergency Management were also there to testify and provide information on what happened that day.
Many families just hope the jury takes a look at the evidence and the report from the FEDS.
“The evidence speaks for itself,” Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jackie Cazares died in the school shooting, said. “There is not much to debate here, it’s on tape it's recorded on the DOJ report.”
“It confirmed a lot of failures that we already knew, but the confirmation is there,” victim Amerie Jo Garza's grandmother, Berlinda Arreola, said. “It’s time to start holding people accountable for their actions."
As for possible charges, there is an array that prosecutors can consider, some misdemeanors, some felonies, according to Tony Plohetski of the Austin American-Statesman and our sister station, KVUE. Plohetski said he understands they're likely to consider child endangerment, which is a felony in Texas.
"In terms of what charges may ultimately result, that of course is an open question," Plohetski said. "Legal experts have said in situations like this, it may be difficult to sustain a criminal charge, but in terms of the grand jury’s actions, keep in mind in Texas it takes 9 of twelve grand jurors to issue an indictment, to bring a criminal charge, but again, that is a process we don’t expect quickly. It could in fact, take into the spring.”
We reached out to the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT) and they said they were the first to encourage all officers to fully cooperate with all investigations.
We also reached out to the DA’s office and have not yet gotten a response or update.