A criminal investigation into the Uvalde school shooting in Texas will continue into 2024, delaying the convening of a grand jury that was expected to take place before the end of this year, according to a Texas prosecutor. Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell stated that her team is still examining the police failures that occurred during the May 2022 shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers. Preliminary findings were sent to Mitchell in January, and she previously announced that evidence related to the massacre would be presented to a grand jury in 2022.
The possibility of criminal charges against some of the approximately 400 officers who responded to Robb Elementary School but waited over an hour to confront and apprehend the shooter has been a contentious issue in Uvalde. State lawmakers have criticized law enforcement at all levels for failing to prioritize saving innocent lives over their own safety. This issue has caused division within the close-knit community of 15,000 residents. As the timeline for the criminal investigation has extended, frustration has grown among some families of the victims towards the district attorney.
"Lack of Accountability": Families Demand Justice for Teachers Killed in School Shooting
"She's just plainly not doing her job," said a grieving Velma Lisa Duran, whose sister, Irma Garcia, was one of the teachers tragically killed in the recent school shooting. "I don't understand how they expect us to live in a place where there are no consequences."
The District Attorney, Emily Mitchell, has been facing mounting criticism for the delay in her investigation and the lack of transparency regarding the case. Mitchell has not answered questions from the media about when she expects to go before a grand jury or what charges she might be considering.
"My office is still dissecting the investigation of the Texas Rangers, which is quite voluminous," Mitchell stated in an email response. "Upon our completion of the review of the Rangers investigation, we will then convene a grand jury."
Despite receiving the initial findings from the Texas Rangers at the beginning of this year, Mitchell claims that the investigation has continued and that she only received the full case file in July. As a result, she now believes it will take until the end of 2023 to present a case to the grand jury.
Since the tragic incident, there has been widespread criticism of the officers who responded to the shooting. Several officers, including two Department of Public Safety officers and the school police chief, Pete Arredondo, have lost their jobs due to their actions during the attack.
The investigation that is currently underway is expected to result in prolonged legal battles over the release of records that could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the attack and the response by the police.
Last year, city officials in Uvalde filed a lawsuit alleging that prosecutors were not transparent and were withholding records related to the shooting. Media organizations, including the AP, have also sued local Uvalde officials for not releasing records that were requested under public information laws. During the summer, the former mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin, called for Mitchell's resignation, claiming that she was involved in a cover-up regarding the city's investigation into the Robb School tragedy.
The Department of Public Safety has opposed the disclosure of records, citing a request from Mitchell in relation to her ongoing investigation. In November, the state's lawyers appealed a judge's order to release the records.
Robb Elementary is now permanently closed and in October the city broke ground on a new school. But Uvalde remains split between residents who say they want to move past the tragedy and others who are still demanding answers and accountability.
In November, during the first mayoral race since the shooting, locals elected a man who'd served as mayor more than a decade ago, rather than a mother who has led calls for tougher gun laws since her daughter was killed in the attack.
This month, Duran, 52, marked what would have been her sister's 50th birthday. She no longer expects to see justice on Earth for the police who failed to protect her sister and the officials she believes are shielding them.
"I take confidence in God's wrath," she said.
