The United States Department of Justice will conduct a review of the police response to the recent mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, in the state of Texasamid growing criticism of the actions of the authorities during the massacre.
“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 assist first responders,” said a Justice Department spokesperson, anthony colleyit’s a statement.
The review was requested by Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin and “will be fair, transparent and independent,” Coley added.
Salvador Ramosan 18-year-old teenager, stormed into Robb Elementary School in Uvalde on Tuesday, killing 19 children and two teachers, the latest episode in a series of deadly mass shootings in USA.
Following the shooting, the behavior of the police has come under severe scrutiny as it became known how long it took them to act.
Texas authorities admitted Friday that as many as 19 police officers were in the school hallway for nearly an hour before storming into the classroom the gunman was in and killing him.
The state’s top security official said Friday that police made a “wrong decision” because they mistakenly thought the attacker had stopped killing and was entrenched.