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Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) defended police officers and law enforcement agencies after it was revealed they waited over an hour outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas during Tuesday’s mass shooting.
Cornyn said blaming the first responders after the complex incident is “distracting and unfair.”
“The second-guessing and finger-pointing among state and local law enforcement is destructive, distracting, and unfair,” he tweeted Saturday.
Officers are being criticized amid reports they waited outside the school for more than 70 minutes as suspected gunman Salvador Ramos continued his rampage, ultimately killing 19 students and two teachers.
UVALDE, TEXAS, OFFICERS HOSTED ‘ACTIVE SHOOTER SCENARIO TRAINING’ IN MARCH
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) speaks at the U.S. Capitol on August 04, 2021 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
In a second tweet, the Texas lawmaker defended the officers’ “split-second decisions” and said it was “easy to criticize” following the tense moment.
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“Complex scenarios require split-second decisions. Easy to criticize with 20-20 hindsight,” he added.
Director and Colonel of the Texas Department of Public Safety Steven C. McCraw listens during a press conference outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 27, 2022. (Photo by CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)
The second guessing and finger pointing among state and local law enforcement is destructive, distracting, and unfair. Complex scenarios require split second decisions. Easy to criticize with 20-20 hindsight https://t.co/ssq2FAInDX
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) May 28, 2022
“There will be plenty of time to sort this out later. Focus now should be on [thorough] investigation and lessons learned to prevent future tragedies, not finger pointing,” he said in a third tweet.
People leave the Uvalde Civic Center following a shooting earlier in the day at Robb Elementary School, Tuesday, May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas. (William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
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Scrutiny over the hour-plus wait by nearly 20 officers outside the school was renewed after it was learned an active shooter drill from two months before Tuesday’s tragedy instructed first responders to “stop the killing” and that the “officer’s first priority is to move in and confront the attacker.”
Steve, the story has changed multiple times already, as you know. My only point we need a thorough investigation and to nail down facts before reaching a conclusion. Accountability should follow. https://t.co/zLCnf8WJoS
— Senator John Cornyn (@JohnCornyn) May 28, 2022
In yet another tweet, Cornyn said the officers should still face an investigation and potentially be penalized once investigators “nail down facts.”
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Texas state officials admitted during a press conference Friday that law enforcement officers made the wrong decision to wait outside the school.