The Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde Independent School District Police have stopped cooperating with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) investigation into the emergency response to the Robb Elementary mass shooting, sources reportedly told ABC News.
Uvalde police decided to end cooperation with the investigation after DPS Director Steven McCraw called local law enforcement’s decision to wait outside the classroom where a lone gunman killed 19 children and two teachers “the wrong decision” during a Friday press conference, ABC News correspondent Aaron Katersky reported.
“The Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde ISD police force are no longer cooperating with the @TxDPS investigation into the massacre at Robb Elementary and the state’s review of police response, multiple law enforcement sources told @ABC,” Katersky tweeted.
While sources told ABC that Uvalde police had stopped cooperating with the DPS investigation, NBC News reported that the DPS said the Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Independent School District Police “have been cooperating with investigators.”
“Per DPS, Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde CISD Police have been cooperating with investigators,” NBC correspondent Morgan Chesky wrote. “The chief of the Uvalde CISD Police provided an initial interview but has not responded to a request for a followup interview with the Texas Rangers that was made two days ago.”
Uvalde police have faced increasing criticism after officers responded to the shooting at Robb Elementary School and waited outside the classroom for up to 90 minutes as the 18-year-old lone gunman murdered children and teachers inside.
The Texas DPS and the federal government launched investigations into the local police response.
“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,” said DOJ spokesman Anthony Coley as The Daily Wire previously reported. “The review will be conducted with the Department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) said he expected an investigation into the response after he said he was misled in briefings immediately following the shooting last Tuesday. “As everybody has learned, the information that I was given turned out to — in part — to be inaccurate and I’m absolutely livid about that!” Abbott exclaimed at a press conference Friday.
Uvalde Mayor Don McClaughlin was also confused by the new information about the police response, and said that he was “blown away.”
“I don’t have an answer for you yet,” he commented.
This story has been updated with additional information.