UVALDE, Texas — A Uvalde grand jury has issued multiple court orders for law enforcement officers who responded to the Robb Elementary School shooting to appear for testimony beginning next week, according to multiple sources familiar with the ongoing investigation.
The grand jury investigation could result in charges against police for the flawed response to the shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers.
This development represents significant progress in this 21-month-old investigation. In addition to reviewing a trove of evidence in the case – and reviewing both oral and written statements from many of the officers – the grand jury wants to hear directly from those officers themselves.
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Multiple sources confirm to KVUE and the Austin American-Statesman the issuance of the grand jury subpoenas, but state law prevents them from publicly confirming who received them or how many were issued.
Testimony is set to start next week at the Uvalde County courthouse.
It is not known whether officers who received them are targets of the investigation or will provide testimony as witnesses.
A Uvalde county judge seated the grand jury a day after a scathing Department of Justice report widely condemned the response.
Parents and Uvalde residents have been asking for accountability for the officers involved for over a year – a call that grew in July 2022 when video obtained by KVUE showed officers pacing in the hall for more than an hour rather than immediately acting.
The Uvalde district attorney Christina Mitchell has said for months that she plans to take the case to grand jury to determine whether any of the 376 officers who responded to the shooting would face charges that could include child endangerment.
Many of those first responders are seen in the hallway for more than an hour before entering the classroom where the gunman was with victims in what the DOJ said was a response filled with cascading errors.
The grand jury investigation is expected to take weeks – perhaps months. Nine out of the 12 grand jury members are required to vote for indictment before any can be issued.
On Friday, the Combined Law Enforcement Association of Texas (CLEAT), the state's biggest police union, issued a statement confirming some of its members who are Uvalde police officers are being asked to testify:
"CLEAT continues to share in the sadness and grief that the horrific events in Uvalde brought to so many innocent families, law enforcement, and educators. After a lengthy review by the United States Department of Justice, the local prosecutor in Uvalde has convened a grand jury to investigate the tragic events that unfolded at Robb Elementary School. Uvalde Police officers are being called to testify and provide information.
CLEAT was the first and only statement law enforcement organization to encourage all officers present that day to encourage all officers present that day to cooperate fully and honestly with State, Federal, and local investigations. We are actively providing legal representation for our members. We remain committed to the due process rights of the officers and the rights of the parents, family, and community to ascertain why and how this tragedy occurred."