SAN ANTONIO — A day after Uvalde families said their fight for accountability wouldn't end with the release of a 575-page federal report detailing the failed law enforcement response at Robb Elementary in 2022, their pursuit gained new momentum.
In developments first reported by the Uvalde Leader-News, a special grand jury has convened to decide whether criminal charges will be filed in connection with the police response at Robb, where a gunman killed 21 people over the course of 77 minutes as inactive law enforcement waited in the hall.
Parents of those victims called for criminal prosecution on Thursday. Come Friday, the first development within the criminal justice system took hold in relation to the May 2022 tragedy.
The reaction of Brett Cross – an outspoken advocate for gun reform who lost his son, Uziyah Garcia, at Robb – summed of the feelings of this network of grieving families: "About time."
Over the next several months, the grand jury will review the shooting investigation at Robb Elementary and decide whether criminal charges like child endangerment are warranted.
"I don't trust it yet," Cross said, "but I want them to prove me wrong. I want them, the DA, to do what's right. I want this community to do what's right."
Families say they're cautiously optimistic in light of this small step forward.
One concern is whether a jury made up of residents from the area would be unbiased in their review.
"I think moving it out of the jurisdiction (to) somewhere else, I think you'd have a better chance of getting a fair look at the situation," said Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jackie Cazares died in the school shooting and who heard the grand jury news Friday afternoon.
The worries stem partly from recent local elections. For instance, the acting police chief during the shooting at Robb Elementary School, Mariano Pargas Jr., is now a Uvalde County commissioner.
Loved ones of Robb victims are quick to list off the names of those who were at the scene of the shooting where the Justice Department said there was a fatal gap in coordination, communication and leadership.
"Look up (Constable) Johnny Fields. Look up Mariano Pargas. Look up Constable (Emmanuel) Zamora. Look up (Uvalde County Sheriff) Ruben Nolasco," Cross said. "They're all mentioned in here, and they're all mentioned from their failures because they sat by while our children died."
As the grand jury process gets underway, a new call for accountability is ringing out: Specifically, for any first responder at Robb running for reelection to withdraw from their respective races.
"They're not worried," Cross said. "They know how this community is. They know how the DA is. They're not worried. But it's high time that they start getting worried and they start hanging their heads in shame."
There's no definite timeline on when the grand jury could decide on charges.
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