The mayor of the Texas city of Uvalde is refuting a new assessment of the law enforcement response to the massacre at Robb Elementary School, saying the report "does not give a complete and accurate account of what happened."
Mayor Don McLaughlin on Thursday took issue with the first part of a (ALERRT) Center, which said an Uvalde police officer with a rifle spotted the gunman outside the school, but a supervisor either did not hear him or responded too late when asked for permission to fire.
"No Uvalde police department officer saw the shooter on May 24 prior to him entering the school," McLaughlin said in a statement. "No Uvalde police officers had any opportunity to take a shot at the gunman."
The gunman eventually killed 19 young students and two teachers inside a classroom before authorities eventually breached the classroom more than an hour later.
The at Texas State University cited a series of deadly missed opportunities and mistakes in the response, including two unlocked school doors and a lack of effective command.
"A Uvalde Police Department officer saw someone outside, but was unsure of who he saw and observed children in the area as well," the mayor said in his response to the report. "Ultimately, it was a coach with children on the playground, not the shooter."
McLaughlin said that, contrary to the report and a timeline from the state Department of Public Safety, troopers were at the school door about three minutes after the shooter entered and dozens more at the time of the breach.
The mayor called "the premature release of piecemeal information" about the investigation a "disservice" to the victims' families and vowed to release all city records once reviews are complete.
The ALERRT assessment, released Wednesday, was created using school video, third-party video, body cameras, radio logs, verbal testimony from officers and statements from investigators.
ALERRT said the document should not be taken as a "definitive or final report as all investigatory options have not been exhausted."
In a statement, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said the report corroborates earlier testimony from Texas Department of Public Safety Director Col. Steven McCraw and added the assessment was "very difficult for me to read."
There will also be reports from the FBI, the Texas Rangers and the District Attorney in the "coming weeks and months," Patrick said.
The-CNN-Wire
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