CNN
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Surveillance videos of law enforcement officers’ response to the Uvalde school massacre provide the clearest picture yet of officers waiting outside a primary school as the gunman continued to shoot, killing 21 students and teachers on May 24.
The video, published Tuesday by the Austin American-Statesman newspaper, shows officers approaching the classroom door within minutes of the gunman entering, but retreating after the gunman opened fire on them. After more than an hour — as the hallway became increasingly crowded with officers from various agencies — the classroom doorway was broken open by police and the gunman was shot dead.
Local officials and families of the victims rejected the decision to release the images before those affected could see it for themselves. And the video, which was lightly edited by the US statesman to blur the identities of at least one child and remove the sound of screaming children, still leaves open questions — in particular why law enforcement’s response has been delayed so much. used to be.
“They just didn’t act. They just didn’t move,” Uvalde County Commissioner Ronald Garza said Wednesday on CNN’s “New Day.” “I just don’t know what went through the minds of those police officers that tragic day, but… there just wasn’t any. action on their part.”
The video also does not answer the question of “who, if anyone was in charge,” Senator Roland Gutierrez (D) told CNN on Tuesday.
“Even if we see 77 minutes in a hallway, it’s not going to tell us who was in charge or who should have been in charge. And I think the sad explanation of what happened on May 24 is that no one was in charge.”
Gutierrez criticized the Texas Department of Public Safety for having a large number of officers on the scene but failing to control the situation. The state agency has always referred to Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, the police chief of Uvalde’s school district, as the site commander during the attack.
Arredondo was placed on furlough as chief of police for the school district in June and made no substantial public statements that day about his decision-making, despite intense public scrutiny, although he told the Texas Tribune that he did not consider himself the leader on the ground. On Tuesday, the city council of Uvalde accepted his resignation from his position as councilor.
Families of the victims said they were alarmed by the leaked images and said it was just the latest in a long line of examples of their wishes being pushed aside. Officials say they planned to show the footage to families this weekend before they were released publicly.
“There’s no reason for the families to see that,” Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin said of the leak. “I mean, they would see the video, but they didn’t have to see the shooter come in and hear the shots. They don’t have to relive that, they’ve been through enough already,” he said.
The Austin American-Statesman’s decision – along with TV partner KVUE – to release the footage was strongly criticized by local officials who echoed parents’ concerns, saying certain graphics audio and images should not have been included.
“While I’m pleased that a small portion is now available to the public, I believe it’s also important to look at the entire segment of law enforcement’s response, or lack thereof,” said the chairman of the investigative committee of the United Nations. the state house, Representative Dustin. Burrows (R) tweeted.
“I am also disappointed that the victim’s families and the Uvalde community’s requests to view the video first and not have certain images and audio of the violence were not met,” he wrote.
In the first edited video, lasting just over four minutes, the audio captures the frenzied teachers screaming as the gunman crosses the parking lot after his truck crashed just outside the Robb Elementary School campus.
He then enters the school at 11:33 am, walks down a hallway with a semi-automatic rifle, walks into a classroom and opens fire. As the shots rang out, a student who had peeked around the corner of the hallway at the gunman quickly turns and runs away.
Minutes later, officers rush into the hallway and approach the door, but immediately retreat to the end of the hallway when the gunman appears to be firing at them at 11:37 AM. door again until 12:21 PM and wait until 12:50 PM to break through the classroom and kill the shooter.
A second edited video of nearly an hour and a half was also published on the newspaper’s YouTube channel.
The footage has eliminated the sound of screaming children, but the grim sounds of gunfire can still be heard clearly and the gunman’s face is briefly shown as he comes through the school doors.
“It is unbelievable that this video was posted as part of a news story with images and audio of the violence of this incident without regard for the families involved,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
The US statesman defended his decision, while executive editor Manny Garcia wrote in an editorial, “We must bear witness to history, and transparency and unwavering reporting is one way to bring about change.”
McLaughlin also shared his disappointment that a person close to the investigation would leak the video.
“That was the best way to get this video out today – whether it was released by the DPS or whoever it was. In my opinion it was very unprofessional, which I believe this investigation has been from day one,” he said at a city council meeting on Tuesday.
‘Screw you!’: parents from Uvalde lash out at surveillance video leak
Despite the security footage leaked, the Texas House Investigative Committee still plans to meet with the victims’ families on Sunday and provide them with an investigative report as originally planned, a source close to the committee told CNN.
The report will show that there was not one individual failure on May 24, but instead a group failure of massive proportions, the source said. Committee members also asked Texas DPS director Colonel Steve McCraw to testify for the second time Monday to seek clarification on past sworn testimony before the Texas House and Senate, the source said.
Meanwhile, some outraged family members took to social media to urge people not to share the video, as families come to terms with the footage and the law enforcement behavior it reveals. “PLEASE DON’T SHARE THE VIDEO PLEASE!! We need time to process this!!,” wrote Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza, 10, who died in the massacre.
Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jacklyn was killed, also begged her Facebook family and friends not to share the video, saying it’s “the opposite of what the families wanted!”
“If you’re a true friend, don’t share it, I don’t want to see it in my feed and I don’t want to be tagged on any of the news channels that share it. Our hearts are shattered again!” Cazares wrote.
The Uvalde school district has scheduled a meeting for July 18, where McLaughlin said he hopes the city council and the victims’ families can get details about returning to school.
The school district previously announced that Robb Elementary School students will not return to campus and will be reassigned to other schools.