Topline
Two minors were injured in a shooting in Uvalde, Texas on Thursday evening in a suspected gang-related incident which comes a few months after a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in the city left 19 children and two teachers dead.
Thursday’s incident comes just months after a deadly school shooting in Uvalde left 19 children and … [+]
Key Facts
According to a statement issued on Facebook, the Uvalde Police Department said it had four suspects in custody who are being questioned about the incident.
The two injured minors are being treated at a hospital in San Antonio, the extent of their injuries are unknown.
Police say they received information about the shooting at 5.30 p.m. local time.
In a statement on Twitter, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said it is working with local law enforcement to investigate the “suspected gang-related shooting.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott said he has ordered DPS officers to carry out patrols in “gang hotspots” and six DPS trooper units to coordinate with city officials on a broader “anti-gang effort.”
Crucial Quote
Reacting to news of the shooting, Abbott said: “I was outraged to learn that gang violence has endangered the Uvalde community and innocent Texans this evening…Gang violence has no place here in Texas, and we will bring the full force of justice down on these heinous criminals.”
Key Background
The shooting incident comes at a time when the Uvalde police department faces national scrutiny over its conduct during the mass shooting tragedy at the city’s Robb Elementary School. Police waited for more than an hour to engage the shooter Salvador Ramos while students and parents made desperate calls to 911 asking them to intervene. Wider probes into the failed response are still ongoing but the school district’s Police Chief Pete Arredondo has been fired. According to a Texas House of Representatives report, more than 350 law enforcement officers responded to the shooting—including Border Patrol agents, state police officers, U.S. Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Agency officers, Uvalde City Police and county sheriff’s deputies, among others.
Further Reading
2 juveniles hospitalized after suspected gang-related shooting in Uvalde (Dallas Morning News)
Uvalde School Shooting Response Plagued By ‘Systemic Failures,’ State Report Finds (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/09/09/two-minors-hospitalized-following-shooting-in-uvalde-gang-violence-suspected/