Uvalde, Texas – An investigation into the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas has raised concerns over the lead investigator’s lack of active shooter training, according to reports from a local news station. Jesse Prado, the investigator hired to examine the police response to the tragic event, had no active shooter training during his 20-year tenure with the Austin Police Department.
Records obtained from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement revealed that Prado, who eventually cleared all Uvalde police officers of any wrongdoing in the incident that claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers, lacked the necessary training for such investigations. Despite leading an independent investigation into the local police officers’ response to the shooting, Prado faced criticism for his findings, which concluded that no officers violated department policy.
Following Prado’s presentation of his findings in March, the Uvalde City Council has yet to decide whether to accept the conclusions of his report. The investigation drew further scrutiny when Col. Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, testified that there were sufficient police officers present on the scene to apprehend the gunman within minutes of his entry into the building. However, officers waited over an hour before engaging the shooter, prompting McCraw to label the response as an “abject failure.”
City Council Mayor Pro Tem Everardo Zamora disclosed that Prado’s hiring was based on the recommendation of the city’s attorneys from the Tarski Law firm. Families of the victims have expressed dissatisfaction with the investigation, believing that Prado’s qualifications were insufficient to conduct a thorough and unbiased inquiry into the incident at Robb Elementary School.
During a recent city council meeting, parents of the victims urged local leaders to reject Prado’s investigation, citing concerns over the validity of the findings. Despite the report stating that the initial responding officers acted in “good faith,” parents disputed these claims and criticized the council for dismissing the allegations raised in the investigation.
As tensions rose during the meeting, Brett Cross, a parent who lost his 10-year-old son in the shooting, spoke out against the perceived lack of accountability within the Uvalde police department. With ongoing disputes over the investigation’s credibility, questions loom over the future actions of city officials and their response to the community’s grievances.