UVALDE, Texas — Uvalde County commissioners on Monday agreed to review its Sheriff’s Office policies and procedures in wake of the Robb Elementary shooting. The review would be done by a third party firm the county hasn’t selected yet.
County commissioners estimated it would take six months for that review, which the court says Sheriff Ruben Nolasco agreed to in writing. Families of children who were killed in the shooting two months ago said further action was needed.
“None of us feel safe with the sheriffs [deputies] out there,” Brett Cross, parent of Uziyah Garcia told commissioners.
The move comes more than two months after the shooting, and one woman asked commissioners why they waited this long to begin this review.
Families have felt frustrated in holding elected leaders, some of whom were first responders the day of the shooting.
"We respected who they were, we're friends and family, it's so hard. But it's harder to hurt the way we hurt, it's harder knowing they had the ability to prevent or to even help other children and they didn't," Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza said after Monday’s meeting.
One public leader absent from the meeting was Precinct 2 Commissioner Mariano Pargas, Jr.. Pargas is the Uvalde Police lieutenant who was the acting chief the day of the shooting and has not attended three previous meetings. He was placed on administrative leave last week by the city but still maintains his seat as county commissioner.
“[He] didn’t do a damn thing, and he still has his position. He didn’t even show up today, and it’s a continuous slap in the face,” Cross told KENS 5 after the meeting. Cross and other parents told commissioners they didn’t feel safe with sheriff’s deputies on the street. 16 deputies from the department responded to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Cross and other parents demanded commissioners make a statement about the actions of law enforcement during Monday’s meeting, commissioner Ronnie Pargas said the video of the response on May 24 “speaks for itself.”
“Nothing has changed in the past two months, we’re still in the same place where we are two months ago, May 24 to today, everybody has the same positions, same schools, nothing has changed,” Arreola said.
County commissioners said the investigation into its sheriff’s department can begin once the Uvalde DA’s review of the shooting is finished.