Customs and Border Protection officers in the Uvalde school shooting didn’t know who was in charge at the scene

United States: As indicated in the report, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) individuals responding to the location of the fatal shooting at the elementary school in Uvalde were not adequately trained since there was no identifiable commander.

However, families were outraged at the finding that CBP staff members did not break any rules with regards to the investigation and the subsequent inquiry.

Even though the actions of the police authorities after the catastrophe of May 2022 were heavily criticized, the report released on Thursday recommended no agencies were reprimanded in any manner.

At Robb Elementary School, an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 children and 2 teachers in the fourth-grade classroom while deploying an assault rifle.

It was only after the procurement of special weapons, more than 70 minutes after the gunman entered the classroom, that he was killed by a police team, which included a member of a border patrol tactical group.

There was’mass confusion’ according to a Border Patrol officer who was part of the team that assaulted into the classroom with other law enforcement officers where the shooter was held.

According to the report, ‘He proved to be quite stunned upon being responded to by that many people and was not quite sure who the commander was’.

In May, family members of 19 victims and the Uvalde city and county agreed on a settlement of $2 million with the assurance from the authorities to reform the Uvalde Police Department.

As per the CBP assessment, law enforcement personnel lacked the establishment of a definitive incident command and control center structure that contributed to delays, inactivity, and possibly more loss of life.

The Office of Professional Responsibility at US Customs and Border Protection’s approximately 200-page report does not place blame on anyone for the lapse in police response by examining the entire scenario at Robb Elementary.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, more than any other law enforcement agency, contributed over 200 officers in response to the tragic school shooting.

“The Robb Elementary School shooting is a case that touched all of us emotionally. Troy A. Miller, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner of the CBP, commented, I do not believe that I should say anything here about loss of lives and emotional suffering suffered by survivors and families,  the community, and first responders.”

“And as our report shows, courageous men and women of our organization continue to be supportive and actively participate with our federal, state, and local partners to make sure that our brave officers and agents receive the combining training, policy, equipment, and law enforcement powers to respond to such incidents.”

CBP OPR was one of the agencies to investigate the CBP’s response and reviewed several hundreds of tape hours and interviewed over two hundred witnesses.

The OPR was created because of the growing need for more ability to investigate misbehavior and negligence towards employees of the CBP.

Convincing evidence was put forward in the study stating that law enforcement officers overlooked command and control measures upon their arrival at the scene of the conflict—this or a number of cases. Recommendation: about the need to provide specific guidelines detailing procedures for managing police incidents.

“While no law enforcement official was in command of the incident at the school at the time of the events, this resulted in delays, inactivity, and possibly even additional casualties.”

“Investigators further stated that the CBP personnel that were at the given scene did not breach any rule, regulation, or law, and no action was brought against any of the CBP personnel,” stated customs border protective agencies.

This is what the report allegedly says—the one he has not yet read—to the families of Jesse Rizo; one of the children killed was his niece Jacklyn Cazares: ‘I don’t care about the report, because no one will get punished’.

Rizo, an Uvalde school board member, told AP: “We’ve expected certain conclusions from these investigations, but it’s been disappointment after disappointment.”