As families and a major newspaper demand he resign, top Texas law enforcement chief says his agency 'did not fail' Uvalde in school massacre - CNN

CNN  — 

In the look of calls for his resignation by victims’ relatives and a large newspaper, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McCraw is not stepping down, saying astatine a gathering of the agency’s oversight committee Thursday that his officers “did not neglect the community” of Uvalde during a May wide shooting successful which 19 fourth-graders and 2 teachers were killed.

“If DPS arsenic an instauration failed the families, failed the school, oregon failed the assemblage of Uvalde, past absolutely, I request to go,” McCraw said astatine the gathering of the Texas Public Safety Commission. “But I tin archer you this close now: DPS arsenic an instauration close present did not neglect the community, plain and simple.”

McCraw’s comments, which came moments aft respective victims’ families demanded helium resign, travel the referral of 7 DPS officers for probe by the agency’s inspector wide for what they did – oregon didn’t bash – arsenic a gunman killed 21 radical astatine Robb Elementary successful the worst US schoolhouse shooting in astir a decade.

While astir 400 officers from DPS and 22 different agencies responded May 24 to the Uvalde field starting wrong minutes of the archetypal gunshots, instrumentality enforcement waited 77 minutes – successful usurpation of commonly held progressive shooter protocol and grooming – earlier breaching adjoining classrooms to find the victims and termination the 18-year-old gunman.

McCraw antecedently had vowed to “tender (his) resignation to the governor” if his section is recovered to person immoderate culpability related to the shooting.

“It’s been 5 months and 3 days since my son, his classmates and his teachers were murdered,” said Brett Cross, who was helping rise his 10-year-old nephew Uziyah Garcia earlier the lad was killed successful the shooting.

But portion the timepiece keeps ticking, Cross said, “Several numbers stay the same: It was 77 minutes that 91 of you all’s officers waited extracurricular portion our children were slaughtered.

“We’re not waiting immoderate longer. Our families, our community, our authorities has waited agelong enough. And playing authorities volition lone enactment the lives of much Texans astatine risk,” Cross said, adding, “I expect … your resignation immediately.”

Cross reiterated his telephone for McCraw to resign – oregon beryllium fired by the politician – connected CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°.”

“He conscionable refuses to bash what is right, and it is, it is disgusting,” helium told Cooper. “How are we expected to trust, you know, arsenic Texans, these officers of his erstwhile helium acceptable the barroom astatine children being murdered arsenic not being a failure.”

Following the oversight committee session, a salient Texas paper also called for McCraw’s resignation oregon firing.

“In the days since the May 24 massacre astatine Robb Elementary School successful Uvalde, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw, confronted Thursday by Uvalde parents, has built a rock-solid lawsuit for his resignation oregon firing,” the San Antonio Express-News wrote.

“McCraw indispensable resign. And if helium doesn’t, Abbott indispensable occurrence him.”

The insubstantial described however victims’ household members reminded McCraw he had told CNN successful September helium would resign if troopers had “any culpability” successful the delayed effect to the incident.

McCraw connected Thursday did not supply much details connected his agency’s interior reappraisal of the response, lone reiterating that each DPS serviceman connected the country would beryllium evaluated.

One officer, McCraw said, had resigned portion nether probe and is not eligible to instrumentality to the department, portion different idiosyncratic is “under the termination process close now.”

However, portion McCraw admitted Thursday that his bureau was not without responsibility – acknowledging its officers were connected the country wrong minutes of the shooting starting – helium did not instantly connection to resign.

Thursday’s league began with a nationalist remark period, with 5 minutes per speaker, starting with authorities Sen. Roland Gutierrez, who represents Uvalde and said calls for McCraw’s resignation are warranted.

Pointing not lone to the errors of officers the time of the shooting, but the cascade of mendacious accusation DPS enactment retired successful the weeks after, Gutierrez said the shooting “shattered” Texans’ content “we could spot the connection and the actions of instrumentality enforcement – particularly the Department of Public Safety.”

In a statement, Lives Robbed, a radical formed by immoderate of the victims’ loved ones, expressed disappointment astir Thursday’s meeting, indicating it fell abbreviated of their expectations.

“Today, The Department of Public Safety promised an update into their probe of the Robb Elementary School shooting. That did not happen,” the connection said. “Instead, successful a bait and switch, they hosted a glorified property league and erstwhile again refused to judge work for their failures.”

“We volition not let the Department to co-opt our grief, and the decease of our children. We telephone upon the Department of Public Safety and the Commission to supply a existent update of their investigation, and for it to beryllium hosted successful the assemblage impacted by this tragic event,” it said.

Cross told CNN the gathering was ridiculous and, “I’m upset that DPS continues to discarded our time. … They don’t archer america anything.”

The gathering comes arsenic the scourge of US schoolhouse shootings shows nary signs of abating, with astatine slightest 67 specified attacks reported this twelvemonth connected US campuses, including a precocious schoolhouse pupil and a teacher killed Monday successful St. Louis.

McCraw’s remarks did small to assuage the choler of the victims’ families, immoderate of whom addressed the manager earlier the gathering took a little recess and moved connected to different business.

Cross pressed the manager connected his comments stating helium would resign if DPS was culpable, asking McCraw, “So your officers were successful determination wrong 10 minutes. Correct?”

“Yes,” McCraw said.

“Are they not representatives of your department?” Cross continued.

“Absolutely,” said McCraw.

“Therefore, they failed?” Cross asked.

“Absolutely,” said McCraw.

“Therefore, DPS failed, therefore, determination is culpability,” Cross said. “Therefore, if you’re a antheral of your word, past you would retire.”

Thursday’s gathering marked McCraw’s archetypal nationalist grounds astir the bloodshed successful Uvalde since June when, earlier a authorities Senate committee, helium labeled the shooting effect an “abject failure” – but placed blasted mostly connected section and schoolhouse territory police, including that agency’s main Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, who authorities authorities person said was the incidental commander.

Arredondo, who has denied helium was successful that role, was fired successful August – a determination his lawyer called an “unconstitutional nationalist lynching,” adding Arredondo should beryllium reinstated, with each backmost wage and benefits.

Arredondo was 1 of 5 schoolhouse territory officers astatine Robb Elementary, portion DPS had 91 unit respond to the shooting – the astir but for the US Border Patrol, according to a July study by a authorities House of Representatives investigative committee.

The bureau progressively has been scrutinized for its relation successful the effect to the tragedy, opening arsenic its initial communicative of it unraveled wrong days of the bloodshed and expanding erstwhile assemblage camera footage revealed to CNN that a DPS trooper arrived astatine Robb Elementary earlier than bureau leaders would acknowledge publicly.

After an interior reappraisal of the actions of each DPS serviceman connected the scene, 7 were referred by the bureau for probe by the agency’s inspector general.

Among them is authorities constabulary Capt. Joel Betancourt, who tried to hold a squad of officers from entering the classrooms, telling investigators helium thought a much skilled squad was connected its way, CNN has reported.

Also included is Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, who sources said told investigators helium was focused connected providing his bosses with updates and did not sermon options to breach the classrooms. He is seen successful footage from surveillance cameras and assemblage cameras speaking connected the telephone and, astatine 1 time, seemingly offering to negociate with the gunman.

McCraw has denounced akin attempts astatine dialog by Arredondo, calling it the “wrong decision.”

Another of the seven, Sgt. Juan Maldonado, was served termination papers, DPS said Friday, with sources confirming to CNN his firing was the result of his relation successful the response the time of the shooting.

And erstwhile DPS trooper Crimson Elizondo took a occupation this summertime with the schoolhouse territory constabulary force, but was fired aft CNN revealed she was among those being investigated.

Each of these officers has either declined to remark oregon not responded erstwhile contacted by CNN.

The Public Safety Commission present includes 4 members – each appointed by Gov. Greg Abbott. Many Uvalde victims’ families, meantime, person been campaigning for Beto O’Rourke, Abbott’s Democratic rival who has invoked the Uvalde effect successful arguing the governor’s tenure should end.