Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw says his agency did not fail the city of Uvalde during the May 24 school shooting at Robb Elementary when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers.
"If DPS as an institution — as an institution — failed the families, failed the school or failed the community of Uvalde, then absolutely I need to go," McCraw said during a heated Public Safety Commission meeting. "But I can tell you this right now: DPS as an institution, right now, did not fail the community — plain and simple."
"There were actions — I can tell you, there were things we're not proud about," he said.
McCraw's comments come weeks after he told CNN he would resign if any DPS officer played a part in the bungled and chaotic response to the shooting.
Several agencies are being scrutinized for their response on the day of the shooting, including the Texas state police department, campus police, the Texas Department of Public Safety, and federal Border Patrol.
A visual investigation by The New York Times published last week found delays by officers from several different agencies.
The gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, started shooting inside the school at 11:33 a.m. with a legally purchased AR-15 rifle. Captain Joel Betancourt of the Texas state police did not arrive at the school until 12:30 p.m. or later. A tactical team made up of mostly federal border agents killed Ramos at 12:50 p.m.
The shooter was inside the school for 74 minutes before he was killed.
It is not clear why officers held back — some DPS officers entered the school though none stormed the classroom.
The police department last week issued termination papers to Sgt. Juan Maldonado, one of the first officers to arrive on the scene. He could be seen on body camera video staying in a doorway to the school instead of heading toward the gunfire inside.
Family members of victims of the mass shooting Thursday called for McGraw's resignation.
"Mr. McCraw, you have all the resources in the world," Jesse Rizo, uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares, said at the meeting. "Yet you come out, your staff comes out, [providing] misinformation after misinformation. And it continues to happen."
"You basically lit a match and set the town on fire," he said.
"All we want are answers and full transparency," he said. "Take urgency and responsibility and tell us where you and your departments are on the investigation and how soon we'll have a complete report."
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