UVALDE, Texas — The findings of a federal investigation into the Uvalde school shooting are expected to be released on Thursday.
The Department of Justice said it's an extensive and detailed review of the events that took place at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022, including the highly criticized response to the shooting.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland is expected to talk about the findings at a news conference scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. KHOU 11 will stream it live on KHOU.com, KHOU 11+ and our mobile app.
It's not a resolution to any criminal or civil investigations, but some family members of victims are hoping it's a chance to learn from the tragedy.
"Having the DOJ come back here and put out a report that will, hopefully, shine a light on all things -- so much that the DA can no longer hide," guardian of victim Uziyah Garcia, Brett Cross, said.
Even though the families know it's not a criminal investigation, they hope the DOJ speaks candidly about those who stood in the hallway for 77 minutes while the gunman remained barricaded in adjoining classrooms full of students.
"All the training that the children did throughout the years, they exercise that. The ones that did training outside the wall, they sat around did nothing," Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jackie Cazares died in the school shooting, said.
Family members of the victims said they'll review the documents on Thursday and hope to be able to share their thoughts afterward.
"The report wasn’t to point fingers but there will be stuff will be laid out for whoever is reading the report can determine that," Amerie Jo Garza's father, Alfred Garza, said.
On Wednesday, United States Attorney General Merrick Garland visited a mural dedicated to the victims in the town that was forever changed that day 20 months ago.
"Everyone in the country ... the eyes were on what happened here," Garland said while getting a firsthand look at the faces of the 21 lives lost on that terrible day. "The contrast between her feeling of joy here (in the mural) and what happened to her."
Garland met with family members of the victims later Wednesday evening. They got a preview of what the public will learn on Thursday.
"It's one of the bittersweet things -- we are hoping for the best and expecting the worst. So many reports that have come out, nobody has done anything with them. It hasn't been what we expected," victim Amerie Jo Garza's grandmother, Berlinda Arreola, said.
Garland and his team are ready to present their findings after an extensive review was first announced in June 2022. He asked a team of experts to examine the response, training and first responder policies, among other things.
The team that investigated the shooting spent 30 days in Uvalde and interviewed more than 200 people from 30 organizations, including law enforcement personnel and first responders. They also analyzed about 13,000 pieces of evidence and did walkthroughs of Robb Elementary.
The DOJ said they hope the report provides agencies and communities some guidance moving forward.