As the Bidens arrived in Uvalde, Texas, on Sunday, the Justice Department announced they will conduct a review of the police response to the elementary school massacre that killed 21
President Joe Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden arrived in Uvalde, Texas, to pay their respects to the victims and to soothe the grieving community after Tuesday’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School killed 21 people, including 19 students and two adults.
Upon landing on Sunday morning, the president and first lady were welcomed by applause from onlookers. The Bidens were greeted by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, First Lady Cecilia Abbott, Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin, Rep. Tony Gonzales and Judge Bill Mitchell.
They also spoke with Dr. Hal Harrell, the Uvalde County Independent School District superintendent, and Mandy Gutierrez, the principal of Robb Elementary School, where they visited a memorial for the victims. President Biden was seen wiping away a tear while paying respects.
After laying flowers at the front of the school, the Bidens met with everyone involved in the school shooting massacre, including the families of the victims, survivors, and first responders, according to CBS News.
“He hopes to convey empathy and understanding of what an impossibly horrible moment this is for them,” one of the president’s advisors said, per CNN. “He hopes to offer some small piece of comfort, if that possible.”
As the president was leaving the memorial at the school, the outlet reported a Uvalde resident, Ben Gonzales, urged him to take action in response to the gun violence.
“President Biden, we need help! We need help, President Biden!” Gonzales reportedly shouted.
They later attended mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, where they were greeted by Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller.
The visit from the Bidens comes on the heels of an announcement from The Justice Department that it will conduct a review of the police response to the mass shooting at the request of Mayor McLaughlin.
“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. The review will be conducted with the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing,” DOJ spokesman Anthony Coley issued in a statement on Sunday.
“As with prior Justice Department after-action reviews of mass shootings and other critical incidents, this assessment will be fair, transparent, and independent. The Justice Department will publish a report with its findings at the conclusion of its review,” the statement noted.
The review is a crucial development as three days after the shooting, the Texas Department of Public Safety director said that Chief of Police Pete Arredondo made the “wrong decision” in not confronting the shooter until more than 40 minutes after he entered the school.
“From the benefit of hindsight where I’m sitting now, of course, it was not the right decision,” Col. Steven McCraw told reporters. “It was a wrong decision. There’s no excuse for that. We believe there should have been an entry as soon as you can. When there’s an active shooter, the rules change.”
According to McCraw, the shooter barricaded himself inside a classroom that they believed was otherwise empty. All of the victims were reportedly found in that room.
On Wednesday, President Biden signed an executive order on policing and public safety and pushed for “commonsense gun reforms.”
“As a nation, I think we all must be there for them,” Biden said. “And we must ask: When in God’s name will we do what needs to be done to, if not completely stop, fundamentally change the amount of the carnage that goes on in this country?”
The school district in Uvalde has opened an official account with First State Bank of Uvalde to support Robb Elementary families affected by the tragedy. People can send checks through the mail (payable to the “Robb School Memorial Fund”) or donate money through Zelle to robbschoolmemorialfund@gmail.com. People can also donate by calling 830-356-2273.
[via]
