Hi, it's Jen. Before we start the show, we want to take a moment and note that today's

episode about the anniversary of the Rob Elementary School shooting in Texas may be difficult

for some listeners. For our other conversations on gun violence in America, including how

communities grapple with that violence, visit the 1-8-dot org. Please take care of yourselves

and thanks for listening.

Today marks one year since the mass shooting at Rob Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas

left 19 children and two teachers dead. Even though nearly 400 officers were at the scene

that day, it took over an hour for police to reach the gunmen.

They're shot at, they retreat, and they never go back in. They let children die in that

classroom, and I can't even explain to you what they've taken from me.

That's a clip from a new CNN special called Surviving Uvalde inside a school shooting. Experts

and officials say the response by authorities that day was a failure, and investigations

into exactly what happened are ongoing with families still searching for answers. This

year so far, there have been 23 school shootings and at least 241 mass shootings in the US.

What can we learn from the school shooting in Uvalde in the many that have come before

and after? And how does an event like this affect survivors and the communities long

term? I'm Jen White. You're listening to the 1-8 podcast where we get to the heart

of the story. We'll be back with more in just a moment.

Joining us for the conversation is John Woodrow Cox, a staff writer at the Washington

Post. He's also the author of Children Under Fire, an American crisis. John, welcome

back. Thanks for having me. And joining us from Uvalde, Texas is Shimon Prokipas. He's

a senior crime and justice correspondent at CNN. The CNN special Surviving Uvalde includes

...