failed in its response to the 2022 shooting# attack at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

It's the most comprehensive assessment# of what happened during the shooting that## killed 19 children and two teachers.

The# nearly 600-page report lays out a seri of -- quote -- "cascading failures of leadership,# decision-making, tactics, policy, and training."

Attorney General Merrick Garland said# law enforcement officers demonstrated## no urgency as they waited out the shooter.

MERRICK GARLAND, U.S. Attorney General:# Officials on scene transitioned from treatin the scene as an active shooter situation to# treating the shooter as a barricaded s This was the most significant failure.

That# failure meant that law enforcement officials## prioritized the protracted evacuation of students# and teachers in other classrooms, instead of## immediately rescuing the victims trapped with# the active shooter.

It meant that officials## spent time trying to negotiate with the subject,# instead of entering the room and confronting him.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tony Plohetski is# an investigative reporter for The## Austin-American Statesman and a Pulitzer# Prize Tony, thank you for being with us.

So the DOJ is saying it wasn't it was failed leadership.

And this report# finds real fault with Pete Arredondo,## who is the former school district police chief.

Tell us more about that and then walk# us through the top lines of this report.

TONY PLOHETSKI, The Austin-American# Statesman: Well, Geoff, it is the most## comprehensive and broadest investigation# th And in many ways, it continues to# substantiate and confirm much of## what the public has known.

But this# report is also striking in terms of## its breadth in discussing the consequences# of that and the aftermath of the shooting.

So, for example, it describes that because there# was a failure of leadership and no real incident## commander, the time that should have been spent# putting together, for example, a way to triage the## children and the patients who were coming out# of Robb Elementary School, that was not done.

And in a very jarring and# difficult-to-hear example,## we read about a teacher who was left# on a sidewalk outside of the school,## not getting proper care, and later died.

So# the report itself, again, really walked us## through the failed response in those precious 77# minutes, but also the consequences thereafter.

GEOFF BENNETT: Let's talk more about the failed# emergency response, because the report, as you## mentioned, finds that medical teams were hampered# from doing their job.

Law enforcement was mo injured kids in ways that were probably more# helpful.

That's a direct line from the report.

Several students with bullet wounds, grazes# and other injuries were directed onto buses## to a civic center without having been# brought to the attention of medics.

How## did the EMS response add to what the# DOJ calls this cascade of failures?

TONY PLOHETSKI: Well, one of the things,# as you mentioned, there was blood supplies,## for example, that were brought to the# scene, but were not used on the patients.

And I think also, as part of# this conversation as well,## it was also striking that there was no way for# ambulances to in an emergency ca mpus, because law enforcement officers who# descended blocked the entrances to the school.

So a question was asked to the# attorney general point blank today,## would more people could have -- could they# have survived, would they have survived had## they been able to receive very urgent medical# care?

And his answer was a resounding yes.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tony, how are# the families reacting to this?

TONY PLOHETSKI: Well, you know, Geoff,## the fa as you can imagine.

They're all# processing this in very different ways.

But, to be clear, the information that they# receive today is very difficult to hear.

I think,## in many ways it absolutely confirms their# worst suspicion and their worst nightmare.## But now the conversation also continues# to focus, as it has since May of 2022,## by the way, on accountability and# whether or not those families will## ever see any sort of satisfying# accountability in the aftermath.

GEOFF BENNETT: Well, what does# accountability look like now,## Tony?

Does the release of this report# chan TONY PLOHETSKI: Federal officials# took great pains today to say that the## scope of this investigation was not about# identifying potential criminal liability,## that that was outside the scope of what# they were doing, and, as a matter of fact,## did not find any federal crimes that# could potentially be federally prosecuted.

That means that accountability has to be done# with regard to criminal charges at the local## level.

And we know that, for many months,# it's really the onset of these calls for## accountability, that the district attorney# has said she is actively investigating.

But, as you can imagine, on the# ground among those families,## there's a push for something more timely and# a more timely result of her investigatio Geoff, also, I do want to point out, there# continue to be administrative investigations## inside some of the law enforcement agencies# whose officers responded that day.

But the## report actually points out the fact that these# types of administrative investigations regarding## whether or not law enforcement officers violated# their own department policies, those similarly,## according to this report, must be done at a much# faster pace in order to provide the public and,## in particular, the families of those# victims much more timely information.

GEOFF BENNETT: Tony Plohetski with# The Austin-American Statesman.

Tony, thank you so much for# joining us this evening.

TONY PLOHETSKI: Thank you.