Texas School Shooting Report Highlights ‘Poor Decision Making’ From Law Enforcement During Attack; Uvalde Police Chief Suspended

After weeks of public scrutiny, Uvalde, Texas Mayor Don McLaughlin announced on Sunday that they are suspending acting Uvalde Police Chief Lt. Mariano Pargas.

This came as the mayor spoke with the families of the victims of the tragic Robb Elementary School shooting and members of the special Texas House committee investigating the police response to the attack.

According to the New York Post, it was found that Pargas was the highest-ranking officer during the day of the attack, which killed 19 young children, as well as two teachers.

The suspension came on the same day the Texas state House of Representatives probe revealed scathing findings about the bungled law enforcement response to the Uvalde massacre.

Texas House Committee Preliminary Probe Said Uvalde Officers Had 'Systemic Failures' and 'Poor Decision Making'

The Texas House committee has released its preliminary findings, and it was a scathing report against the officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting. Almost 400 officers arrived at the scene, though none of them were able to stop a lone gunman from killing innocent children and their teachers.

According to the House's preliminary report, the police had "systemic failures and egregious poor decision making." It included how they disregarded their department's active-shooter training and the school district not fully adhering to its safety plan.

It also found that the shooter's family did not recognize any warning signs that he was mentally disturbed before he massacred children and their teachers.

A video shows how police officers waited over an hour before breaching the fourth-grade classroom that the shooter was in.

The officers could hear the screams of children as the gunman opened fire, but they still did not breach the classroom. Their non-action was widely condemned by the public, politicians, and the media.

Texas House Report: There Was a Breakdown in Communication and Confusion Over Leadership

According to USA Today, the majority of the almost 400 law enforcement personnel who responded to the scene were federal and state law enforcement officers.

Also on the scene were approximately 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials. However, the report noted a breakdown in communication among the various agencies that responded to the incident.

There was also confusion about who was truly the commanding officer at the scene among the officers of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD). It cited an "obvious atmosphere of chaos" as ranking officers from the other agencies did not approach the Uvalde CISD chief.

The scathing report also found that fully armed and armored police officers prioritized their own safety rather than the children. Responding police officers waited in the hallways for over an hour before finally breaching and killing the suspect.

A video also showed some of them running away from the gunman as he fired at the officers who arrived at the scene. Law enforcement experts reviewed the footage and found the police response to be "disastrous" and "inexcusable."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Texas House Committee on Uvalde Shooting Shares Findings - From KVUE