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An investigation into the Uvalde school massacre has brought forward new narratives and given rise to blame games. Given the lack of timely and accurate information, things only seem to be taking a turn for the worse.
The Uvalde school district’s police chief Peter Arredondo has been criticized for his decision to wait instead of confronting the gunman. Arredondo no longer seems to be cooperating with state investigators and has not responded to requests for information for over two days, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Meanwhile, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s police department and the Uvalde Police Department are cooperating with the investigation, as per DPS spokesperson Travis Considine. Even the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas, or CLEAT, stressed in a statement that their members "cooperate fully" with investigations. .
Earlier in the week, DPS officials put the spotlight on Arredondo and a certain school teacher for having failed at their jobs. Reportedly, DPS officials stated that an elementary school teacher had opened the back door before the shooting began, which is what allowed the gunman to easily enter the school.
However, after the teacher’s lawyer stated otherwise, there was a change in DPS' narrative. In their most recent statement, they said that the teacher had shut the door but its automatic lock malfunctioned. Spokesperson Considine assured that DPS was probing into why the lock didn’t work. This retraction of the statement might end up creating distrust and give way to conspiracy theories and misinformation.
The U.S. Department of Justice has agreed to review the response to the mass shooting. However, the primary responsibility of undertaking a credible investigation rests with the state. Unfortunately, state officials's actions have been unable to establish confidence in their ability to conduct such an investigation.
Authorities, top officials present new narratives
DPS officials and Gov. Greg Abbott have gone back on their initial statements. Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, initially stated that the gunman came across a police officer before entering the school. He later clarified that nobody had blocked Ramos and that he went inside unopposed.
Upon being questioned about the lack of clarity, Abbott said that "he was livid" to have been "misled" in the first few briefings on the school attack. Even the largest police union, CLEAT, blamed Texas officials for "a great deal of false and misleading information in the aftermath of this tragedy."
Uvalde school shooting: Blame game shifts focus from investigation
Arredondo came under fire from top officials and parents for his delayed response to the shooting. McCraw, referring to Arredondo by position and not by name, said that the latter treated the gunman as a "barricaded suspect" rather than an active shooter and believed that the children were no longer at risk. Sadly, the decision to wait cost many lives. The rampage eventually did come to an end after a tactical unit of U.S. Border Patrol agents breached the classroom and killed the gunman.
Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin also revised his statement concerning Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who had previously said that state officials "were not told the truth" about the timeline of the incident. In a rebuttal, the mayor told Patrick that the investigators had not misled anyone. He further went on to say:
"Our parents deserve answers, and I trust the Texas Department of Public Safety/Texas Rangers will leave no stone unturned. Our emotions are raw, and hearts are broken, and words are sometimes exchanged because of those emotions."
Responding to McLaughlin, Patrick said that he appreciated the mayor's statement "setting the record straight.”
In the end, it is up to the Uvalde authorities to provide desirable results after an in-depth investigation. The Uvalde Police Department is headed by the town’s mayor, Don McLaughlin, while school superintendent Harold Hansen oversees the school district’s police.
