Officials react to DOJ report on Uvalde school shooting: 'This community deserved more'

The U.S. Department of Justice's long-awaited report on the Robb Elementary School shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead on May 24, 2022, referred to the law enforcement response to the tragedy as a "failure" and listed a plethora of recommendations for police to implement in future emergencies.

More: Uvalde grand jury to consider criminal charges against officers after scathing DOJ report

After the 575-page report's release Thursday, political officials, public figures and organizations from across Texas and the country released statements on the findings. Here's what they had to say:

Gov. Greg Abbott

"Following the horrific tragedy at Robb Elementary School, Texas took swift action to bolster security in our schools and in our communities, and I thank the U.S. Department of Justice for their critical incident review of the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School," he said in a prepared statement.

"The state of Texas has already adopted and implemented some of the recommendations proposed by the DOJ in this review. We will continue to evaluate all possible means of making our schools safer, and we will carefully review all other recommendations the Department has offered to prevent future tragedies across our state."

U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland

"Had law enforcement agencies followed generally accepted practices and gone right after the shooter to stop him, lives would have been saved," U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a news conference Thursday morning at the Herby Ham Community Center in Uvalde.

"The families of the victims and survivors deserved more than incomplete, inaccurate and conflicting communications about the status of their loved ones," he said. "This community deserved more than misinformation from officials during and after the attack."

Texas Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio

"Today’s DOJ report made it clear: the horrific tragedy in Uvalde was preventable. I represent this community. I feel the pain. I see the devastation. I’m not going to stop fighting until we eradicate gun violence once and for all. Enough is enough," Gutierrez posted on X, formerly Twitter.

He later expanded on his comments, posting: "I've seen over 400 hours of body camera footage from Uvalde. This was a systemic failure. Each and every one of those cops failed. We must face the hard truth. An AR-15 causes death and destruction that is simply unimaginable. We must stop this madness."

The League of United Latin American Citizens

In a news release shortly after the Department of Justice report was published, the League of United Latin American Citizens, a civil rights organization, argued that only the Uvalde shooting victims' families can determine if justice has been served.

"What this report does is confirm many of the most important failures that happened before, during, and after this tragedy. I am focused on still sharing my daughter's story and look forward to what the District Attorney investigation and others will bring out," said Javier Cazares, LULAC council president in Uvalde and the father of 9-year-old Jacklyn Cazares, who died in the shooting.

"This report is by no means the end," Cazares continued. "We must still make sure that everyone connected to the events of that day, including city leaders and others, are held accountable."

DOJ report: Read the full 500-page Uvalde shooting report

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio

“Today and every day, I think of the 21 souls that we lost to senseless violence at Robb Elementary. As the Uvalde community grapples with the painful findings of the DOJ’s report, I remain committed to working with local stakeholders, law enforcement, and officials at every level of government to ensure the recommendations laid out by this review are followed and respected. Our nation is faced with an epidemic of violence that no amount of words or wishes can overcome. Only action and unity will carry us forward,” said U.S. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio.

Beto O'Rourke

"There will be no justice for Uvalde until there is accountability — for the officers too scared to confront the gunman and the politicians too scared to confront the NRA," former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke posted to X on Thursday.

"The DOJ Uvalde report gets one thing right. The response by law enforcement — who waited over an hour to act — was “a failure,'" he later wrote. "But it doesn’t go far enough. Without recommending criminal charges, there will be no accountability. Without accountability, there will be no change."

More: Uvalde families left wondering why officers who failed them weren't named in DOJ report

Texas Democratic Party

"We're thankful that the DOJ can provide answers to the victims of the Robb Elementary School Massacre when @GregAbbott_TX 's DPS refused," the Texas Democratic Party posted to its X account. "Over 600 days later, Uvalde families have answers thanks to the Department of Justice...but they'll never have their loved ones back."

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio

"My heart is with families in Uvalde as they relive the worst days of their lives with the release of the DOJ Critical Incident Review on the Robb Elementary School shooting," U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro posted on X. "I hope today's review will provide transparency and accountability in Uvalde and a roadmap to protect America’s children. Uvalde families deserve nothing less than the truth."

See photos from Uvalde as DOJ report is released

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: What Texas, U.S. officials said about DOJ report on Uvalde shooting