The Uvalde shooter had zero experience

But he was able to destroy lives after a series of systemic failures on the part of law enforcement

But first, let’s remember who we are:

Late last month, when Amulfo “Arnie” Reyes was released from the hospital after being badly injured in the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, the town turned out to welcome him home. Mr. Reyes teaches English/language arts and reading to fourth graders, and has undergone 10 surgeries so far.

The Uvalde community has turned out to provide food, lawn-mowing, and rides to doctor’s appointments.

Some of the people who welcomed him home and who have helped with his healing lost children in the shooting. That is who we are. We may be limping, but we look around to see who’s hurt worse.

Police response to the mass shooting has been roundly criticized. A Texas House committee preliminary report released Sunday:

blamed multiple failures by those in positions of power for not halting the massacre, according to media reports.

The report describes “systemic failures and egregious poor decision making”: how police disregarded department active-shooter training, how the school district did not adhere fully to its safety plan and how the shooter's family did not recognize warning signs ahead of the massacre, according to the Texas Tribune, which obtained a copy of the report ahead of its scheduled release to the public.

From the Texas Tribune:

In total, 376 law enforcement officers — a force larger than the garrison that defended the Alamo — descended upon the school in a chaotic, uncoordinated scene that lasted for more than an hour. The group was devoid of clear leadership, basic communications and sufficient urgency to take down the gunman, the report says.

From the Washington Post:

“Other than the attacker, this report did not find any ‘villains’ in the course of its investigation. There is no one to whom we can attribute malice or ill motives,” the report said. “Instead, we found systemic failures and egregious poor decision making.”

You can read the report here. It is heartbreaking.