Outraged parents of the victims of the Uvalde school shooting in Texas reacted angrily after an investigation ordered by city leaders reportedly did not blame the police who responded to the incident.
The 2022 attack left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Investigators Claim Families Caused Delay During Police Response
It took officers 77 minutes to enter the school, and the investigator who presented the report on Thursday blamed families who rushed to the scene for delaying police, according to a report.
Several family members walked out in anger midway through the presentation. A person in the crowd screamed, "Cowards!"
The report, by former police detective Jesse Prado, found Uvalde Police Department officers acted swiftly and appropriately, in contrast to state and federal reports that faulted police at every level.
His report blamed other problems.
"There were problems all day long with communication and lack of it. The officers had no way of knowing what was being planned, what was being said," Prado said. "If they would have had a ballistic shield, it would have been enough to get them to the door."
Law enforcement took more than an hour to get inside the classroom and kill the gunman, even as children inside the classrooms called 911, begging police to rescue them.
But Prado said officers showed "immeasurable strength" and "level-headed thinking" in their response.
Family members erupted when Prado briefly left after his presentation.
"Bring him back!′ several of them shouted, according to the AP.
Prado returned, sat, and listened when victims' families cried and criticized the report.
"My daughter was left for dead," Ruben Zamorra said. "These police officers signed up to do a job. They didn't do it."
Uvalde City Council member Hector Luevano said he was "embarrassed" by the report and didn't accept it.
"These families deserve more. This community deserves more," Luevano said.
At least five officers on the scene lost their jobs, but no officers faced criminal charges.
