Plumbing 
Julye Keeble|Leader-News
Flanked by her daughters Araceli Marin (left) and Anais Marin, Robb Elementary School shooting survivor and former school district employee Emilia “Amy” Marin speaks to the Uvalde City Council on April 23.
More than six weeks after Jesse Prado delivered his outside report on the Uvalde Police Department and two canceled meetings and a mayor change later, the city of Uvalde acknowledged officers didn’t act sufficiently on May 24, 2022, but accepted Prado’s findings which indicate officers did not violate policy.
After Mayor Pro Tem Everardo “Lalo” Zamora delivered the prepared remarks during the April 22 council meeting, council adjourned and Zamora engaged in a contentious discussion with Veronica Mata and Gloria Cazares, who lost their daughters Tess and Jackie in the mass shooting at Robb Elementary.
Mata asked how the city council members could look at the victims’ families day after day without doing anything to help. Zamora replied they were making changes, “hopefully for the better.” Directing his attention to Cazares, he said that Mata was saying the same thing over and over, and Cazares replied the city was doing the same thing.
”We already told you we are going to make changes,” Zamora replied. When Mata lamented cops standing by instead of going into the classroom, Zamora indicated he hopes he would have gone in but was unable to say for sure, not having been in the situation.
The city’s statement comes after weeks of requests from families to reject the report.
The school shooting on May 24, 2022, resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers, and wounded dozens more.
During the public comment period, Brett Cross, Emilia “Amy” Marin, and Daniel Myers highlighted inconsistencies in Austin-based investigator Prado’s report.
Council disengaged from the open portion of the meeting to meet in closed session. After half an hour, council members reconvened in open session shortly after 7 p.m.
Zamora read the statement addressing the report, police actions, and plans to update the police department before ending the meeting.
“The conclusion supported the officers complied with UPD policies at the time of the shooting,” he said. “However, the bottom line is that members of our beloved community were not adequately protected that day by Uvalde Police Department.
“The Uvalde Police Department policies were outdated and the department lacked the proper training and equipment to protect our community. That is changing.”
Zamora said the city launched Prado’s independent investigation in July 2022 at former Mayor Don McLaughlin Jr.’s direction.
Prado delivered his report on March 7, 2024, and absolved Uvalde Police of wrongdoing.
Zamora said the city will not commission further reports. He said they are focused on new UPD Chief Homer Delgado’s departmental assessment, which Delgado has described as a detailed review of all department personnel, policies, procedures and training.
Speakers
Cross, who with his wife Nikki served as guardian of 10-year-old victim Uziyah Garcia, demanded council members schedule a discussion on the report.
Zamora told Cross he would need to speak to lawyers for other Robb families, as well as city attorneys, for council to discuss the report in the future.
Cross criticized the report for lack of adherence to UPD policy 8.6 for active shooter response.
Cross pointed out some contradictions in the Prado report, which he called, “a six-figure love letter from Prado to his officers here, especially [Eddie] Canales. Written like a young adult’s fan fiction, paid by the city of Uvalde using tax dollars, including the tax dollars of parents of the survivors and victims.”
He said Page 29 states Canales called his wife and knew his child was in the classroom, Page 37 states Canales was next to UCISD officer Ruben Ruiz when he said his wife, the late Eva Mireles, was in a classroom under attack, and Page 38 says Canales didn’t think children would be quietly hiding in dark classrooms.
Cross said Prado concluded policies were not violated, but UPD policy 8.6 for active shooter response emphasizes the need for immediate action to save lives, and rapid intervention to prevent additional death or injury, something Cross noted did not happen, nor was an incident command station set up outside by police.
Cross exceeded his three-minute speaking time and Zamora interrupted him to notify him.
Cross said he had one last statement.
“I want to each and every one of y’all to do me a favor and just tell us, the families of the victims and the survivors, “f**k you.” Tell us that because y’alls actions show that, but y’all don’t have the testicular fortitude to actually man up and say it, just like your cops didn’t have the balls to do their job and our children are dead!”
Marin, who described herself as “a victim and survivor of the Robb massacre” is a former Robb school aide who called 911 seeking help when she saw the gunman approaching.
She called attention to reports that Prado had not had any active shooter training, and text on Page 69 that says they located 16 transmissions not relayed/acknowledged by dispatchers that may have helped officers. Marin said a dispatcher’s statement on Page 101 that says Marin yelled the shooter was coming and the call was disconnected is not entirely accurate.
Marin suggested a community roundtable for meaningful change.
Myers questioned Zamora about his nephew, Constable Emmanuel Zamora’s actions, including running for reelection, and council members about their silence following the Prado report.
He said the community is divided and hurting, and asked city officials to make changes, helping the families even if it means they lose face and lose friends, calling on them to act independently rather than just following protocol.
Peace Ministries founder Emma Trimble spoke about the division in the city, and invited everyone to attend a National Day of Prayer gathering on May 2 at 6 p.m. at the Willie De Leon Civic Center.
Council member Eloisa R. Medina was absent.
Council members Ernest W. “Chip” King III, Stephen Balke and Hector Luevano were present at the meeting.
The city meeting began with a prayer for wisdom from Gilbert Limones, pastor of Casa El Shaddai. Limones, along with Cody Briseño, was shot at by the 18-year-old shooter with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle outside Hillcrest Memorial Funeral Home, before the gunman entered the school.
jkeeble@ulnnow.com, 830-278-3335
