A grand jury has been summoned to investigate the flawed police response to the Uvalde shooting.

On Friday, a Texas judge convened a grand jury to assess possible criminal charges against law enforcement officers who didn’t respond appropriately to a severe school shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas. This incident is considered one of the worst school shootings in history, according to information from two individuals familiar with the matter, as reported by the Austin American-Statesman.

The grand jury will review similar evidence as the U.S. Department of Justice, which released a critical report on Thursday. The report pointed out widespread failures in how law enforcement responded to the May 24, 2022, attack that resulted in the tragic loss of 19 children and two teachers.

The grand jury will review similar evidence as the U.S. Department of Justice, which released a critical report on Thursday. The report pointed out widespread failures in how law enforcement responded to the May 24, 2022, attack that resulted in the tragic loss of 19 children and two teachers.

The grand jury in Uvalde County may consider charges against the officers, such as child endangerment or injury to a child. This means they will look into whether the officers put children in serious danger. In Texas, it is considered a crime if someone intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence puts a child aged 15 or younger in a situation where they could face imminent danger of death.

The formation of the group deciding about the officers has been happening for weeks, and it’s not connected to the Justice Department’s report. This information was first reported by the Uvalde Leader-News. Those sharing details with the American-Statesman wanted to keep it private because they didn’t have permission to talk about it openly.

Various police groups, including local, school, state, and federal officers, went to Robb Elementary during the attack. In a news conference in Uvalde on Thursday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland mentioned that if the police had stopped the attack right away, lives could have been saved.

The Justice Department report highlighted many mistakes and pointed fingers at the former Uvalde school district police chief, Pete Arredondo. It stated that he didn’t treat the person causing harm as an active shooter and didn’t take control of the situation properly. This resulted in issues, like taking too long to reach the people in danger, approximately 77 minutes too long.

When questioned about why the Justice Department’s report didn’t discuss pursuing criminal charges, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland mentioned leaving such decisions to the district attorney in Uvalde County. During a news conference in Uvalde on Thursday, Garland explained that the Justice Department deals with federal crimes, and as the shooter is no longer alive, there’s no federal criminal jurisdiction.

Law professor Kirk Burkhalter suggests that police officers could face criminal charges, such as manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, and endangering a child. He believes Chief Pete Arredondo will be the main focus of the grand jury’s investigation.

Burkhalter stated, “You can’t have this report that points the finger so harshly at the Chief of Police and all the multiple failures of law enforcement where deaths occurred, and not impanel a grand jury to further investigate this and see if criminal charges are warranted.”

The district attorney (DA) started investigating police mistakes right after the shooting. Initially aiming to finish by the end of November 2022, the DA later mentioned that the investigation would continue into 2024.

Although the grand jury coincides with the release of the DOJ report, plans for its formation started last year, according to The Uvalde Leader-News.