AUSTIN, Texas — A new internal report examined how 188 U.S. Border Patrol agents responded to the scene at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.
The new report found agents did not violate policy or the law in the shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead.
Instead, the report released Thursday recommended that the agency develop protocols on how agents respond to similar incidents on non-federal property.
The 203-page report also included recommendations that Border Patrol change its policies to make sure they're consistent with the most up-to-date law enforcement standards regarding their response to active shooters and that officers be trained on those standards.
The report stated agents failed to establish command at the scene and had insufficient training to deal with what became one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings.
“The failure of arriving law enforcement personnel to establish identifiable incident management or command and control protocols led to a disorganized response to the Robb Elementary School shooting,” the report stated. “No law enforcement official ever clearly established command at the school during the incident, leading to delays, inaction, and potentially further loss of life.”
A Border Patrol agent who was behind the officers who breached the classroom where students were killed described the scene as "mass confusion."
“He was surprised by the number of people who responded to the incident and was unsure about who was in charge,” the report states.
Border Patrol agents have not faced the same criticism as local law enforcement over the failure to confront the shooter sooner. Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have been accused of failing to act and were indicted this summer. They have pleaded not guilty.