Lack of action from Uvalde City Council against city police department prompts protests outside PD headquarters

UVALDE – In Uvalde, guardian and advocate Brett Cross is starting a familiar sit-out style protest, this time at the Uvalde Police Department.

This comes after the city council took no action Tuesday night at its regular meeting following what some are calling an “embarrassing” investigation into UPD by a third-party investigator.

That investigation found no wrongdoing by any of the UPD officers who responded to Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022, when a gunman killed 21 people, while officers waited in a hallway for 77 minutes.

When the investigation was released last week, the city council promised families they would address its findings at the regular council meeting.

However, Mayor Cody Smith told families and the community present, they needed more time with the report.

Cross, who sat outside the Uvalde CISD administration office for more than 10 days demanding action against the school police department in October 2022, says he’s prepared to do it all over again with the city.

“All I know is that I’m going to be here until something changes. They asked for more time. They’ve had almost two years. How much more time does one need? You know what your officers did? The whole world has seen the body cam of them just sitting there and waiting. What more do you need?” Cross said.

Cross’ protest started at 11:33 a.m., the same time the gunman began shooting on May 24, 2022.

Just three minutes later, at 11:36 a.m., Cross pulled out a chair and sat down. According to the Department of Justice report released in January 2024, that’s when the first 11 responding officers from Uvalde PD and Uvalde CISD arrived at the school.

In response to his protest, the Uvalde Police Department released a statement about peaceful protests.

Cross says he invites everyone, from everyday citizens to city officials, to join his protests and demand action.

The next city council meeting is on March 26. Cross says he’s ready to stay outside of PD headquarters well past then if that’s what it takes to hold the officers present on May 24, 2022, accountable.

Find more Uvalde content on KSAT.com here