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On Monday, December 12, 2022, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement released state documents about Uvalde Sheriff Ruben Nolasco. The report stated that Nolasco had never undergone active shooter training prior to the Robb Elementary school massacre. He has reportedly still not received any sort of active shooter training response course.
As per CNN, the documents were the outcome of an independent probe into the May 24 shooting which left 22 people dead, including the suspected gunman. The investigation was ordered by Texas officials after claims that Uvalde authorities were lackluster in their response to the shooting, as they allegedly waited for over an hour before confronting the shooter.
As per the Uvalde County Commissioner, Nolasco was one of the higher ranking officers present at the scene of the mass shooting.
Ruben Nolasco was elected as the Uvalde sheriff in 2020
According to ABC, Ruben Nolasco is a seasoned law enforcement veteran who has served for almost 30 years. He began his time with the Uvalde Sheriff's department in 2005, working in various capacities, including 911 dispatch and narcotics operations. The outlet reported that he was elected sheriff in 2020.
As per KSAT, Ruben Nolasco agreed to testify before the Texas House Panel on Monday, as he faced the possibility of civil penalties if he did not show up. Ruben Nolasco was a primary person of interest in the internal investigation into the Uvalde shooting.
While Nolasco stated that he was not the incident commander at the time of the shooting, investigators claimed that he had 'operational control' at the time of the.
Ruben Nolasco said:
"All I can say is I was not the incident commander that day. Honestly, I mean, there's just a lot of finger-pointing that's going on right now ... I think they want to point fingers to me and point fingers at me."
According to Captain Joel Betancourt, when he arrived at the scene of the May 24 shooting, he got the impression that Nolasco was the primary figure in charge on the ground.
Betancourt, an official with the Texas Department of Public Safety, said that he initially believed that Nolasco was the scene commander. The captain added that he met Nolasco and began setting up a command post.
Ranger investigator Lt. Randy Garcia described Betancourt's account in an official report.
Garcia wrote that the captain said that he didn't know if anyone was in charge inside the building. The report continued that the captain said that when he began walking towards the door to the school, the Sheriff told the latter that there were too many people inside the building. Garcia's report added that this seemed like the Sherriff was
"insinuating for Captain Betancourt not to go inside the building. Captain Betancourt took that statement to mean the Sheriff was in operational control."
Nolasco insisted that former School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was primarily in charge of the operation.
