UVALDE, Texas — The Uvalde grand jury looking into whether criminal charges should be filed in connection with the response at the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022 has now heard from a key witness: the head of state police.
Steven McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, traveled to the city Wednesday to testify, though it's unknown what specifically was said. The grand jury is investigating whether law enforcement can be held criminally accountable for what federal investigators called a lack of coordination and inaction that exacerbated the tragedy on May 24, 2022, when 19 students and two teachers were killed by a gunman who was on campus for over an hour.
It's unknown how long McCraw spoke with grand jury members on Wednesday. Shortly after the shooting in 2022, he called the police response "an abject failure." He blamed local law enforcement, but his department has also come under fire for its officers' failure to confront the shooter on that day.
McCraw also oversees the Texas Rangers, which led the investigation into the law enforcement response.
An unknown number of law enforcement member and officials are being called to appear before the grand jury, which will decide at a later date if criminal charges such as child endangerment should be filed. The process is expected to take several months.
The largest police union in Texas, the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas – or CLEAT – confirmed some of its members were Uvalde Police Department officers who have been summoned before the grand jury. CLEAT said in a statement that it was providing legal representation for its members, and encouraging them to cooperate in any and all investigations regarding the Robb shooting.
No one has been criminally charged in connection with the tragedy.
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