A comprehensive review by the US Department of Justice found that there was a cascade of failures before, during and after the tragedy including poor communication, disorganized response and breakdowns in basic law enforcement practices.
On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The attack resulted in the deaths of 19 elementary students and two teachers.
On May 24, 2022, a mass shooting occurred at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. The attack resulted in the deaths of 19 elementary students and two teachers. A comprehensive review by the US Department of Justice has been released which found that there was a cascade of failures before, during and after the tragedy. These failures include poor communication, disorganized response and breakdowns in basic law enforcement practices.
The decision not to rapidly confront the gunman was identified as one of the biggest mistakes made by police officials. Most officer training on active-shooter events does not specifically recreate circumstances similar to what took place in Uvalde where arriving officers faced a gunman behind a closed door and determined that they were dealing with a barricaded subject who might be able to negotiate.
The critical mistake in Uvalde came early in the police response when nearly 12 officers arrived and rapidly converged on classrooms, leading to fatal shrapnel injuries for two officers before falling back. The report also noted that state police are now told never to treat a school gunman as barricaded whether or not they may have others holed up at the scene.
The failures in Texas underscored the challenge of mass shootings for all police officers: Be ready to rapidly use deadly force in some cases, but try to de-escalate in others. The report also emphasized that careful and coordinated action is necessary to minimize loss of life.
Police officials were criticized by the Justice Department for their failure to observe protocols developed over two decades.
The decision not to rapidly confront the gunman was the single biggest failure of leadership and training during the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, taking 77 minutes for officers to enter classrooms where he had killed 19 students and two teachers.
Most officer training on active-shooter events does not specifically recreate circumstances similar to what took place in Uvalde, where arriving officers faced a gunman behind a closed door and the determination by the on-scene commander that they were dealing with a barricaded subject who might be able to negotiate.
The critical mistake in Uvalde came early in the police response when nearly a dozen officers arrived and rapidly converged on classrooms where they believed the gunman to be, leading to fatal shrapnel injuries for two officers before they fell back.
State police are now told never to treat a school gunman as barricaded, whether or not they may have others holed up. New recruits are given this clear direction at the academy.
Accuracy
Mr. Arredondo made a wrong call by waiting outside of classrooms rather than entering them immediately after arriving at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, which was attributed primarily to his decision and led him being fired from his position as chief of the school police department.
Deception
(70%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it states that the decision to not rapidly confront the gunman was the single biggest failure of leadership and training during the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. However, this statement is misleading as there were multiple failures by law enforcement officials during this incident.
The article states that federal investigators found that most other types of police training emphasize careful, coordinated action to minimize the loss of life. However, this is not true and ignores the fact that active-shooter protocols ask officers to abandon their civilian mindset and transform into a kind of warrior posture in an instant.
The article claims that most courses do not specifically recreate circumstances similar to what took place in Uvalde, where arriving officers faced a gunman behind a closed door. However, this is not true as many active-shooter training exercises involve simulated scenarios with multiple shooters and hostages.
The article claims that officers should always rapidly confront a gunman, even if it costs them their lives. This is not true and ignores the fact that different situations require different responses from police officers. For example, in some cases, negotiating with the suspect may be more effective than rushing into a hostage situation.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article discusses the challenges faced by police officers in responding to mass shootings. The author argues that active-shooter protocols require officers to abandon their civilian mindset and transform into a kind of warrior posture, which can lead to difficulties in determining whether or not to intervene in an active shooter who takes hostages. The article also highlights the failure of police officials in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School, where officers did not rapidly confront the gunman despite protocols developed over two decades that intended to address this threat. Additionally, there is a lack of substantive revision to officer training on active-shooter events since then.
The decision to not rapidly confront the gunman was the single biggest failure of leadership and training during the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Bias
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the Uvalde School Shooting and active-shooter protocols. The authors have a financial interest in the topic as they are employed by The New York Times Company which has stock holdings in companies that manufacture firearms.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of active-shooter protocols as they are employed by law enforcement agencies. The article discusses how police officers were trained to respond to an active shooter situation at Uvalde High School and how their actions have been criticized for not being effective in stopping the shooting.
The author mentions that J. David Goodman, a former New York City Police Department detective who has written extensively about police tactics, was critical of the officers' response to Uvalde.
The Department of Justice recently released its report on the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Police officials were criticized by the Justice Department for their failure to observe protocols developed over two decades, which emphasize careful and coordinated action to minimize loss of life.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article contains several examples of deception. Firstly, the author uses inflammatory language to make personal attacks on Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans without providing any evidence or context for their claims. This is a form of emotional manipulation and sensationalism that misleads readers by presenting an extreme viewpoint without factual support.
Gov. Greg Abbott answers a reporter's question during a press conference Friday, May 27, 2022, at Uvalde High School in Uvalde.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several logical fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the Department of Justice report without providing any evidence or context for its findings. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans as 'sick human beings'. Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by suggesting that either HISD's Superintendent Mike Miles should focus on improving schools or tolerate their destruction. The article also contains an example of a slippery slope fallacy when it suggests that allowing vouchers will lead to the dismantling of public schools and the replacement of them with for-profit charters.
The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the Department of Justice report without providing any evidence or context for its findings. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when they describe Gov. Greg Abbott and other Republicans as 'sick human beings'.
Additionally, the author makes a false dilemma by suggesting that either HISD's Superintendent Mike Miles should focus on improving schools or tolerate their destruction.
The article also contains an example of a slippery slope fallacy when it suggests that allowing vouchers will lead to the dismantling of public schools and the replacement of them with for-profit charters.
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article expresses strong negative emotions towards Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican Party for their perceived inaction during the Uvalde shooting. The author also uses inflammatory language such as 'sick human beings' to describe them.
Gov. Greg Abbott and the entire Republican Party are truly a group of sick human beings.
>Gov. Greg Abbott answers a reporter’s question during a press conference Friday, May 27, 2022, at Uvalde High School in Uvalde. The Department of Justice recently released its report on the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalda.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (0%)
The author of this article has multiple conflicts of interest on the topics provided. The author is a member of the Houston Independent School District (HISD) board and was involved in discussions about school funding and vouchers for students. Additionally, the author mentions Mike Miles, who is also an HISD employee.
The article mentions Cliff Bodin, who is also an HISD employee and was involved in discussions about school funding.
The article states that 'Mike Miles has been on my side since day one' when discussing his support of a $257 million deficit in the Houston Independent School District (HISD).
The U.S. Department of Justice released a comprehensive review of the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas on May 24, 2022.
19 elementary students and two teachers were slaughtered in the shooting.
The DOJ has concluded that there was a cascade of failures before, during and after the tragedy. The officers at Robb Elementary not only failed repeatedly but their inaction can be linked to the fatalities.
Accuracy
Most officer training on active-shooter events does not specifically recreate circumstances similar to what took place in Uvalde, where arriving officers faced a gunman behind a closed door and the determination by the on-scene commander that they were dealing with a barricaded subject who might be able to negotiate.
The decision not to rapidly confront the gunman was the single biggest failure of leadership and training during the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, taking 77 minutes for officers to enter classrooms where he had killed 19 students and two teachers.
Deception
(95%)
The article is highly deceptive and misleading. The author uses inflammatory language to make it seem like the Uvalde police were responsible for the deaths of 21 people when in fact they failed to act quickly enough due to poor coordination, training, and leadership. The author also falsely claims that there was a lack of action by adults who failed to protect children and their teachers. This is not supported by any evidence presented in the article.
The DOJ report found that police officers were erroneously taught that an active shooter event can easily morph into a hostage crisis.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses dichotomous depictions to describe the actions of law enforcement officers during the Uvalde school shooting as either 'right' or 'wrong', without considering the complexity of the situation. For example, when describing how police waited one hour and 17 minutes before assaulting the classroom where the shooter was positioned, they state that lives would have been saved if officers had confronted him more quickly. This is an oversimplification of a tragic event and ignores other factors that may have contributed to the delay in action. The author also appeals to authority by citing their own experience as an FBI agent leading shooting inquiries, which can be seen as an attempt to lend credibility to their argument.
There was a cascade of failures before, during and after the tragedy.
Bias
(85%)
The article is highly biased and contains multiple examples of bias. The author uses inflammatory language such as 'cascade of failures' and 'unimaginable failure'. They also use quotes from the DOJ report to support their claims without providing any context or analysis. Additionally, the author makes a personal attack on Assistant Attorney General Vanita Gupta by calling her review an unimaginable failure. The article is highly critical of law enforcement's response and calls for criminal charges against officers who stood idly by during the shooting.
One responder asked children to shout out if they needed help, which led to a child who responded being murdered by the gunman.
Police waited one hour and 17 minutes to assault the classroom where the gunman was positioned, despite hearing more gunshots during that time.
The DOJ report found that police officers were erroneously taught that active shooter events can easily morph into a hostage crisis
The decision not to rapidly confront the gunman was the single biggest failure of leadership and training during the attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
Most officer training on active-shooter events does not specifically recreate circumstances similar to what took place in Uvalde, where arriving officers faced a gunman behind a closed door and the determination by the on-scene commander that they were dealing with a barricaded subject who might be able to negotiate.
The critical mistake in Uvalde came early in the police response when nearly a dozen officers arrived and rapidly converged on classrooms where they believed the gunman to be, leading to fatal shrapnel injuries for two officers before they fell back.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(80%)
The article is highly deceptive in its reporting of the Uvalde school shooting. The author fails to provide any context or background information on the incident and instead focuses solely on six key findings from a federal review of law enforcement response. These findings are presented as if they were objective facts, but it is clear that there was significant bias and misinformation present in the report itself.
The report rebukes authorities for how they communicated publicly about the shooting, but it does not provide any evidence or details on what was actually said by officials.
The article presents six key findings from a federal review of law enforcement response without providing any context for these findings. The reader is left with no understanding of why these particular issues were chosen as examples and how they relate to the broader investigation.
The author fails to provide any context or background information on the incident
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The most significant mistake was not rushing to confront the attacker, which is a violation of widely accepted law enforcement practices. There were cascading failures of leadership among officials who failed to provide appropriate command and control during the response. Officials kept changing their story about what happened, causing further harm to victims' families and leading to misinformation in the community. The chaotic response slowed first responders seeking to help injured children, resulting in poor communication between law enforcement personnel and emergency medical services. Families were given false hope that their slain relatives had survived.
The most significant failure was not rushing to confront the attacker
Officials kept changing their story about what happened
Families were given false hope that their slained relatives had survived
Bias
(85%)
The article contains several examples of bias. The author uses language that dehumanizes the shooter and portrays him as a monster rather than an individual with his own motivations. This is evident in phrases such as 'the most significant failure' and 'cascading failures of leadership'. Additionally, the author repeatedly mentions how law enforcement officials failed to act properly, which could be seen as demonizing them or placing blame solely on their shoulders without considering other factors that may have contributed to the situation. The article also uses language that portrays victims as helpless rather than individuals with agency and resilience. This is evident in phrases such as 'injured children were put on school buses' and 'one of the victims who was killed was placed outside a door'. Finally, the author repeatedly mentions how families were given false hope or incorrect information about their loved ones, which could be seen as sensationalizing the situation rather than providing an objective analysis. Overall, while there are some examples of bias in this article, it is not highly biased and does contain valuable insights into the events surrounding the Uvalde shooting.
cascading failures of leadership
injured children were put on school buses
one of the victims who was killed was placed outside a door
The most significant failure
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Mark Berman has a conflict of interest on the topics of Uvalde school shooting and law enforcement response as he is an author for The Washington Post which covers these topics. He also has a personal relationship with Pete Arredondo who was acting chief at the time of the shooting.
