UVALDE, Texas — Findings from a Justice Department investigation into the police response during the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde are expected to be released on Thursday.
The shooting happened on the morning of May 24, 2022, and resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers.
It was on May 29, 2022, that the Justice Department announced it would be investigating the response to the shooting after mounting pressure and questions about what happened and how police responded.
U.S. Attorney Merrick Garland announced the team that would be investigating the next month, to provide an account of the actions and response to the shooting, but stressed that this would not be a criminal investigation.
Justice Department officials in April 2023 reported collecting almost 13,000 pieces of evidence and conducting more than 200 interviews during nine visits to Uvalde.
Let's take a look back at some of the notable moments that led up to the release of this report.
June 1, 2022
Excerpt: "The district says it is working through plans on how to serve students on other campuses and will provide more information at a later date. Uvalde CISD is also working with agencies to identify improvements at other schools."
June 9, 2022
Excerpt: "The committee began the day by saying they would do everything in their power to get the answers Uvalde and the families of the victims of the school shooting, deserve. The chair of the committee, Rep. Burrows, said he acknowledged the public's interest in the instigation. He said it was their goal to have a non-partisan investigation and to work as quickly, but as thoroughly, as possible."
June 20, 2022
Excerpt: "The May 24 response by law enforcement has been under heavy scrutiny after the Texas DPS revealed that officers waited more than 70 minutes to confront the shooter, even as trapped students called 911 for help."
June 21, 2022
Excerpt: "[Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath] called the police response an “abject failure,” and provided a revised timeline about what happened."
June 21, 2022
Excerpt: "The public safety chief outlined for the committee a series of missed opportunities, communication breakdowns and other mistakes."
July 15, 2022
Excerpt: "The 77-page report touches on three major areas: the shooter's family not recognizing the warning signs, a school district that was not adhering to its safety plan, and a police response that didn't line up with its own active shooter training."
July 18, 2022
Excerpt: "The video later shows [Daniel] Coronado and fellow officers breaking and yanking open windows to pull students and teachers from several classrooms. It also shows Uvalde CISD Chief Pete Arredondo troubled by an inability to get a master key to the school classrooms. At one point, Chief Arredondo is seen with a key ring, trying but failing to open a classroom with a number of keys on it. Frustrated, Chief Arredondo admits about 45 minutes after the first shots are fired that 'people are gonna ask what’s taking so long.'"
July 29, 2022
Excerpt: "10-year-old Mayah Zamora was discharged Friday. She handed out roses as she left the hospital amid a crowd lining the walkway and cheering for her."
Aug. 2, 2022
Excerpt: "DPS has told the media that it is not releasing records relating to the shooting because of its ongoing investigation into the matter -- but WFAA, along with the rest of the coalition, argues that there is no such investigation, as the guilt of the gunman is not in dispute and authorities say he acted alone."
Aug. 6, 2022
Excerpt: "One of numerous people interviewed by the Texas House investigative committee created in the wake of the shooting, Gutierrez was suddenly placed on paid administrative leave by Superintendent Hal Harrell on July 25, during which time she wrote to committee members seeking to clarify her role in the emergency response on May 24."
Aug. 25, 2022
Excerpt: "Pete Arredondo was identified by Texas DPS as the incident commander in the response to the Robb Elementary School shooting and has drawn fierce criticism for the delayed response in confronting the shooter."
Aug. 29, 2022
Excerpt: "According to the lawsuit, despite numerous public information requests, the defendants have not released public records surrounding the shooting deaths of 19 children and two adults inside the school on May 24. The media outlets say the release of these records will help shed more light on the events of that day."
Oct. 7, 2022
Excerpt: "Decisions concerning the UCISD police department have been pending with the results of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and JPPI Investigation. Their recent developments have reportedly 'uncovered additional concerns with department operations,' hence the administrative leave orders and the suspension of the department."
Oct. 19, 2022
Excerpt: "[Hal] Harrell had been with Uvalde CISD since 1992 in a variety of roles, and served as superintendent for the last four years. He is one of many district and law enforcement leaders under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary shooting in which a gunman killed 19 students and two teachers in May."
Oct. 21, 2022
Excerpt: "The trooper being fired is Sgt. Juan Maldonado, one of seven members of Texas DPS whose conduct was being investigated by the DPS inspector general because of their actions or inaction during the shooting that claimed the lives of 19 students and two of their teachers."
Nov. 1, 2022
'I’m so scared': 911 recordings reveal fear and urgency of those trapped in Uvalde elementary school
Excerpt: "During some calls, dispatchers and officers warned that class was supposed to be in session in rooms where the gunman had been shooting. On others, law enforcement officers said they were unaware that anyone aside from the gunman was in the classrooms, even as dispatchers received calls from children seeking help."
Nov. 30, 2022
Excerpt: "The lawsuit states that surviving children experience nightmares, severe anxiety, emotional changes, anger, separation anxiety and thoughts of suicide."
Dec. 1, 2022
Excerpt: "The lawsuit, filed in Uvalde County Thursday morning, seeks a judge's approval to release 'all relevant investigation matters' to its independent investigator, with the caveat that that investigator sign a non-disclosure agreement."
May 28, 2023
Excerpt: "The provision to require an armed person at every school campus was added back into the bill during the negotiation process after the Senate took it out earlier in the session. The armed person can be either a peace officer, a school resource officer, a school marshal or a school district employee, according to the law."
Sept. 3, 2023
Excerpt: "[State Sen. Beverly] Powell says they expect to hold the official groundbreaking for the new school in October, and construction is expected to be completed in 2025."
Nov. 16, 2023
Excerpt: "Whereas the lengthy article -- titled 'Terror on Repeat: A rare look at the devastation caused by AR-15 shootings' -- includes numerous testimonials from people affected by each of these tragedies, it also notably includes a number of graphic photos from the scene at Robb Elementary, including images of classrooms covered in blood and a hallway filled with body bags."
