AG Merrick Garland Chokes Up While Discussing Police Response to Uvalde Mass Shooting

Attorney General Merrick Garland became emotional while discussing a report from the Justice Department detailing the “cascading failures” in law enforcement’s handling of the Uvalde mass shooting.

The DOJ completed its comprehensive federal accounting of the police response to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School which left 19 students and two teachers dead. Officials found that the crisis lasted far longer than necessary as police failed to engage the shooter in a timely manner.

Garland spoke out at a press conference on Thursday afternoon detailing the DOJ’s findings, noting that law enforcement is responsible for responding to active shooter incidents and “must be prepared to take charge and establish a unified command.”

At one point, the attorney general choked up while describing the devastation the victims of the shooting faced. Garland paused for a brief second before his voice appeared to crack, before adding that the victims of the shooting deserved a better police response:

Law enforcement officers responding to an active shooter must be prepared to take charge, to establish a unified command and to feel safe, facilitate communications, operational coordination and allocation and delivery of resources. They must continually assess and adjust as the incident evolves and in the aftermath of a mass shooting.

Law enforcement and government agencies must provide the public with a sense of trust and confidence by communicating openly, clearly, and compassionately during a time in which many are learning the most devastating news that any human being [emotional pause] can receive. The victims and survivors of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary on May 24th, 2022, deserve better.

Prior to the DOJ’s report, the police response to the shooting in Uvalde was the subject of scrutiny from lawmakers via hearings and news reports.

Watch the clip above via CNN.