Police in Uvalde said Thursday evening that a shooting at the city's Memorial Park has injured two people, but that "it is not a dangerous situation for the general public."
Thursday's shooting occurred about a mile away from Robb Elementary School, where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers on May 24.
A spokesperson for the Uvalde Together Resiliency Center said counselors briefly evacuated following news of Thursday’s shooting but were back and available to help community members.
“Counselors understand that this latest incident may be triggering for surviving families of the Robb Elementary School shooting. Counselors are available to assist in any way needed to provide comfort and support,” said the spokesperson.
The victims in Thursday's shooting, a 22 year old and a juvenile, were transported to a hospital in San Antonio. Police said four people are in custody.
The Texas Department of Public Safety said on Twitter that it is assisting the Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Sheriff's office, calling it a "suspected gang related shooting."
We are working with the Uvalde Police Department and Sheriff’s Office following a suspected gang related shooting at Memorial Park. This information is preliminary, as the situation develops we will work with local law enforcement to provide updates.
— Texas DPS (@TxDPS) September 9, 2022
Gov. Greg Abbott said he reached out to local officials to offer the state’s support.
“After speaking with the mayor and the county judge about the immediate need for more law enforcement support, I have directed the Department of Public Safety to conduct patrol operations in the gang hotspots, send an additional six DPS trooper units to work around the clock, and begin coordinating an anti-gang effort with the city,” Abbott said in a statement.
A Texas House investigative report blamed DPS along with Border Patrol and local law enforcement for what it called a "systemic failure" in the response to the Robb Elementary School Shooting in May, when 376 officers waited more than an hour to confront the gunman. The report also singled out DPS for releasing misleading information to the public in the days following the shooting.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
