UVALDE, Texas — A police advocacy group in Texas is urging officers to cooperate fully in the grand jury proceedings over the botched law enforcement response to the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde.
The Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT). the largest police union in Texas, confirmed in a statement obtained by KENS 5 sister station KVUE, that some of its members who are Uvalde police officers have been summoned to a grand jury.
CLEAT said in the statement that it was providing legal representation for its members. It also said in the statement that it has long encouraged its members to cooperate in any local, state, and national investigations regarding the Robb shooting.
Grand jury proceedings were expected to start on Monday and could result in charges against police for the flawed response to the shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.
Multiple sources confirm to KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman the issuance of the grand jury subpoenas, but state law prevents them from publicly confirming who received them or how many were issued.
This development represents significant progress in this 21-month-old investigation. In addition to reviewing a trove of evidence in the case – and reviewing both oral and written statements from many of the officers – the grand jury wants to hear directly from those officers themselves.
Parents and Uvalde residents have been asking for accountability for the officers involved for over a year – a call that grew in July 2022 when body cam video that was released showed officers pacing in the hall for more than an hour rather than immediately acting.
The Uvalde district attorney Christina Mitchell has said for months that she plans to take the case to grand jury to determine whether any of the 376 officers who responded to the shooting would face charges that could include child endangerment.