WASHINGTON DC (The Hill): President Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Uvalde, Texas on Sunday to pay their respects to the 21 people killed in the tragic mass shooting at an elementary school there last week.
The Bidens, who were met by Gov. Greg Abbott (R), are visiting a memorial constructed outside of Robb Elementary School, the site of the deadly shooting last Tuesday that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
The president and first lady are spending all afternoon in Uvalde, meeting with families of victims and survivors of the mass shooting and, later, first responders. Those meetings are private and closed to the press, and Biden was not scheduled to deliver formal remarks as he does on most official trips.
The Bidens, who are Catholic, are also attending mass at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Uvalde.
President Biden made the decision shortly after Tuesday’s shooting to travel to Uvalde to offer comfort to the families and the community affected by the tragedy.
It was Biden’s second v-isit to a grief-stricken community following a mass shooting in less than two weeks; he recently visited Buffalo, N.Y., to meet with families of 10 victims kill-ed in the mass shooting at Tops grocery store that police are investigating as a racially motivated hate crime.
As Biden landed in Uvalde, outrage continued to mount over the police response after an 18-year-old gunman walked into the school and opened fire on adjoining classrooms.
While Abbott praised the law enforcement response in the immediate aftermath of the mas shooting, new details have emerged contradicting officials’ initial account.
Videos emerged showing angry parents pleading with officers to enter the building and stop the gunman and police said the shooter was not confronted before he entered the school despite earlier indications otherwise.
On Friday, a Texas official acknowledged that officers did not treat the situation as an “active shooter” because they believed no more children were at risk after initial shots were fired in a classroom, a belief directly contradicted by 911 calls police said they received.
Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw acknowledged during a news conference it was the “wrong decision.” Abbott told reporters hours later that he was “livid” at having been “misled” by police.
The events have also renewed a contentious national debate about gun control.
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