The US Department of Justice announced this Sunday that it will open an investigation into the response given by local police to the shooting that took place in the city of Uvalde (Texas), in which an 18-year-old armed with an AR -15 -year-old killed 19 children and two adults in a school.

In a statement, the Department of Justice specified that the investigation was opened after a request from the mayor of Uvalde, Don McLaughlin. “The goal is to make an independent assessment of the actions and responses of the authorities that day and identify lessons and best practices to help emergency teams prepare for and respond to the sniper situation,” the document reads. The findings will be made public, spokesman Anthony Coley said, according to The New York Times.

The decision comes after conflicting reports emerged about the police response at the scene on the day of the shooting. This Friday, the Local Police ended up admitting that the agents took 40 minutes to decide to enter the school, considering that there was no situation with an armed person inside the school.

Excited president visits Uvalde – no public statements

The Justice Department’s announcement came on the same day that President Joe Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, visited the town of Uvalde and met with the families of the victims.

The couple began by laying a bouquet of flowers at the memorial for the 21 victims at Robb Elementary School. There, they spoke with two school officials and, according to the Times, Biden became emotional during the private conversation. This was followed by a mass in memory of the victims and meetings with their families.

The US president was greeted with some shouts from the local community, saying “We need a change”. Last week, the White House stressed that it was a private visit to “comfort families and the community,” but admitted that Biden hopes to use the moment to pressure lawmakers on gun laws. “[O Presidente] It will require Congress to take action, because this has been going on for far too long and it is time to act,” spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.