Austin (WBAP/KLIF) – The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety says that he wishes his agency would have taken command of the police response the the Uvalde shooting massacre. Steve McCraw made comments to USA Today as part of an interview published on Sunday.
On May 24, a gunman armed with an AK-47 walked into the Robb Elementary School through an unlocked door, making his way to the 4th grade wing where he proceeded to murder 19 students and 2 teachers.
School security video as well as body-cam footage from officers show dozens of local, county, state and federal border agents witing for over 70 minutes before breaching the door where the gunman was holed up. During that time, multiple 9-1-1 calls were made to the Uvalde Police Department form children begging for help.
During an interview, McCraw also revealed that seven of his officers have now been referred to the agency’s internal affairs division; two of the seven are part of the command staff.
Amid fierce criticism of the state’s top law enforcement agency over the failed police response to the shooting, McCraw has previously called the tragedy and “abject failure. When asked directly why state troopers did not take over., McCraw largely blamed the local Uvalde police, but says he wishes his officers had “seized control of the operation.”
(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the USA Today.)
