Plumbing 
The U.S. Department of Justice’s critical incident review of the law enforcement response to the May 24, 2022, shooting will be released this Thursday, Jan. 18, Uvalde Superintendent Ashley Chohlis told trustees during a Jan. 15 school board meeting.
Chohlis, who joined the district last fall, told trustees during her report to the board that the agency’s findings would be released during the day of Jan. 18, and that district spokesperson Anne Marie Espinoza will provide communications to district families and media the day of the release.
School counselors will also be available on Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District campuses for students, faculty and staff who may need additional support upon the report’s release, Chohlis said.
The DOJ announced in the days following the shooting that then-Mayor Don McLaughlin requested the department conduct an in-depth review on law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary shooting that claimed the lives of 21 people and injured several others.
“The goal of the review is to provide an independent account of law enforcement actions and responses that day, and to identify lessons learned and best practices to help first responders prepare for and respond to active shooter events,” the department wrote in a May of 2022 statement.
In April of 2023 the department reported that it had conducted or viewed more than 200 interviews and analyzed nearly 13,000 evidence items.
Hundreds of law enforcement officers who responded on May 24, 2022, waited more than an hour to take action while an 18-year-old gunman opened fire on classrooms 111 and 112 at Uvalde’s west side elementary school. The response has been regarded as among the greatest law enforcement failures in recent history and is also under city, district and state investigation.
Sofi Zeman (szeman@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335) covers education and crime for the Uvalde Leader-News as a Report for America corps member.
