Latest news with #RobbElementary
CTV News
28-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Texas county votes to release Uvalde school shooting records, ending legal battle
Reggie Daniels pays his respects at a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas created to honour the victims killed in the recent school shooting on June 9, 2022. (Eric Gay / AP Photo) HOUSTON — Leaders of the county where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, voted Monday to release records related to the massacre, ending a yearslong legal battle over disclosure of the information. Uvalde County commissioners voted 2-1 to release the records and to stop appealing a 2022 lawsuit that a group of media organizations, including The Associated Press, had filed seeking to make the information public. The decision by commissioners came a week after the Uvalde district's school board voted to release its records related to the deadly rampage, one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The group of media organizations had sued both the county and the school district for the release of the records. County commissioners and the school district voted to release the records after a Texas appeals court on July 16 upheld a judge's ruling that had ordered the information be made public. Both the county and the school district have not said when the records will be released. 'For me, the appellate court's decision to uphold (the judge's) ruling to hand over the video coverage was just confirmation for me that … what are we hiding?' Uvalde County Commissioner Ronald Garza told AP after Monday's meeting. 'I'm very happy that we're gonna release the information.' One county commissioner, Mariano Pargas Jr., who was the acting police chief on the day of the school shooting, abstained from the vote. Family members of the victims had also pushed to make the records public. Jesse Rizo, the uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares, asked commissioners on Monday to release the records. Rizo is also a member of the school board. During the board's July 21 meeting, he apologized for the delay in releasing the records. 'Will it answer everything? No. Will it give you closure? I don't think anything ever will give you that type of closure. Will it hopefully make you heal or allow you to heal? I pray that it does,' Rizo said last week. Records from the county that are expected to be released include incident and 911 reports concerning Robb Elementary and other locations; video footage; ballistics and evidence logs; and reports of law enforcement interactions with the shooter and his mother. Records from the school district expected to be released include body-worn and security camera footage from Robb Elementary; student files for the shooter; and records involving Pete Arredondo, the former Uvalde schools police chief who was later indicted over his role in the slow response to the shooting. Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. They are set to face trial on Oct. 20. Several officers involved, including Arredondo, were fired, and separate investigations by the Department of Justice and state lawmakers faulted law enforcement for botching their response to the massacre. Uvalde city officials released their records in August 2024. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still fighting a separate lawsuit filed by media organizations for the release of that agency's records related to the school shooting. Juan A. Lozano, The Associated Press
The Independent
28-07-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Texas county votes to release Uvalde school shooting records, ending legal battle
Leaders of the county where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, voted Monday to release records related to the massacre, ending a yearslong legal battle over disclosure of the information. Uvalde County commissioners voted 2-1 to release the records and to stop appealing a 2022 lawsuit that a group of media organizations, including The Associated Press, had filed seeking to make the information public. The decision by commissioners came a week after the Uvalde district's school board voted to release its records related to the deadly rampage, one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. The group of media organizations had sued both the county and the school district for the release of the records. County commissioners and the school district voted to release the records after a Texas appeals court on July 16 upheld a judge's ruling that had ordered the information be made public. Both the county and the school district have not said when the records will be released. 'For me, the appellate court's decision to uphold (the judge's) ruling to hand over the video coverage was just confirmation for me that … what are we hiding?' Uvalde County Commissioner Ronald Garza told AP after Monday's meeting. 'I'm very happy that we're gonna release the information.' One county commissioner, Mariano Pargas Jr., who was the acting police chief on the day of the school shooting, abstained from the vote. Family members of the victims had also pushed to make the records public. Jesse Rizo, the uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares, asked commissioners on Monday to release the records. Rizo is also a member of the school board. During the board's July 21 meeting, he apologized for the delay in releasing the records. 'Will it answer everything? No. Will it give you closure? I don't think anything ever will give you that type of closure. Will it hopefully make you heal or allow you to heal? I pray that it does,' Rizo said last week. Records from the county that are expected to be released include incident and 911 reports concerning Robb Elementary and other locations; video footage; ballistics and evidence logs; and reports of law enforcement interactions with the shooter and his mother. Records from the school district expected to be released include body-worn and security camera footage from Robb Elementary; student files for the shooter; and records involving Pete Arredondo, the former Uvalde schools police chief who was later indicted over his role in the slow response to the shooting. Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment. They are set to face trial on Oct. 20. Several officers involved, including Arredondo, were fired, and separate investigations by the Department of Justice and state lawmakers faulted law enforcement for botching their response to the massacre. Uvalde city officials released their records in August 2024. The Texas Department of Public Safety is still fighting a separate lawsuit filed by media organizations for the release of that agency's records related to the school shooting. ___
Washington Post
28-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Texas county votes to release Uvalde school shooting records, ending legal battle
HOUSTON — Leaders of the county where 19 students and two teachers were killed in the 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, voted Monday to release records related to the massacre, ending a yearslong legal battle over disclosure of the information. Uvalde County commissioners voted 2-1 to release the records and to stop appealing a 2022 lawsuit that a group of media organizations, including The Associated Press, had filed seeking to make the information public.
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Yahoo
Uvalde school shooting: Where things stand 3 years later
The Brief 19 students and two teachers were killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting on May 24, 2022. A candlelight vigil will be held in Uvalde on Saturday night. Former Uvalde CISD police chief Pete Arredondo and officer Adrian Gonzales are expected to face trial later this year. UVALDE, Texas - Saturday marks 3 years since the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. On May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed when an 18-year-old gunman entered the school's campus and opened fire inside a fourth grade classroom. 19 Robb Elementary students were killed in the shooting. Xavier Javier Lopez, 10 Amerie Jo Garza, 10 Uziyah Garcia, 8 Rojelio Torres, 10 Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez, 10 Nevaeh Bravo, 10 Makenna Lee Elrod, 10 Eliahana 'Elijah Cruz' Torres, 10 Eliana 'Ellie' Garcia, 9 Alithia Ramirez, 10 Jacklyn "Jackie" Cazares, 9 Jayce Carmelo Luevanos, 10 Jailah Nicole Silguero, 11 Jose Flores Jr, 10 Alexandria "Lexi" Aniyah Rubio, 10 Maite Yuleana Rodriguez, 10 Tess "Tessy" Marie Mata, 10 Maranda Gail Mathis, 11 Layla Salazar, 10 Fourth-grade co-teachers 48-year-old Irma Garcia and 44-year-old Eva Mireles were also killed. Family members said at the time both died trying to protect their students. What's next A public candlelight vigil, organized by family members of the victims, will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Uvalde Amphitheatre. A private event will be held earlier in the night. In 2024, the Department of Justice released a nearly 600-page report detailing the 'cascading failures' by law enforcement on May 24, 2022. Nearly 400 law enforcement officials responded to the campus, but waited for 77 minutes before entering the classroom and confronting the 18-year-old shooter. The police response included nearly 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials, as well as school and city police. While dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do, students inside the classroom called 911 on cellphones, begging for help, and desperate parents who had gathered outside the building pleaded with officers to go in. A tactical team eventually entered the classroom and killed the shooter. The report talked about the vast array of problems from failed communication and leadership, to the inadequate training and technology used by police. A private investigator hired by the city cleared Uvalde city police of missteps. Austin-based investigator Jesse Prado presented his findings in March 2024. Prado stated the department did not commit any wrongdoing or violate any policy. Former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo and school police officer Adrian Gonzales are the only two members of law enforcement to face charges in connection to the shooting. Arredondo and Gonzales were both indicted in July 2024 on multiple counts of child endangerment. Both have pleaded not guilty. Arrendondo, the incident commander, has said he believes he was "scapegoated" for his role in the response. In December, a Texas judge refused to throw out the criminal charges against the former school police chief. Both Arrendondo and Gonzales are scheduled to go to trial in October, according to the Associated Press. This April, Uvalde City Council unanimously approved a settlement with families affected by the Robb Elementary School shooting. The passage came 11 months after the families announced they agreed to a $2 million settlement with the city. Attorneys representing the 19 families of the victims said at the time they were accepting the city insurance payment because the families did not want to hurt the financial status of the city they live in. As a part of the agreement, city leaders promised higher standards and "enhanced training" for current and future police. The city will also build a memorial to the victims and offer resources to support mental health. The city will also pay for the upkeep of the children's graves. A bill dubbed the 'Uvalde Strong Act' passed the Texas Legislature earlier this week. Texas House Rep. Don McLaughlin, who was mayor of Uvalde at the time of the attack and has been actively seeking change to law enforcement policy since, says the bill would correct problems with training that led to police hesitancy in the shooting. The bill would require officers and school officials to meet annually for active shooter response plan development. It also increases officer training specifically for school shooter responses at primary and secondary school campuses. Gov. Greg Abbott is expected to sign the bill into law. The Source Information in this article comes from past FOX reporting, Uvalde County court records, the Texas Legislature and the Department of Justice.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Former Uvalde mayor's police training bill heads to Gov. Abbott's desk
The Brief A bill aimed at improving police training after the Uvalde school shooting has passed the Texas Senate. "The Uvalde Strong Act" would mandate annual active shooter response planning and enhanced school-specific officer training. The bill seeks to address issues identified in the delayed law enforcement response to the 2022 Robb Elementary attack. AUSTIN - A bill intended to fix some issues in police training that may have contributed to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting now awaits Gov. Greg Abbott's approval. HB 33, also called "The Uvalde Strong Act," filed by former Uvalde mayor and freshman Rep. Don McLaughlin Jr. (R-Uvalde), aims to better train officers and enhance agency coordination in hopes of preventing comparable shootings in the future. McLaughlin, who was mayor of Uvalde at the time of the attack and has been actively seeking change to law enforcement policy since, says the bill would correct problems with training that led to police hesitancy in the shooting. The bill would require officers and school officials to meet annually for active shooter response plan development. It also increases officer training specifically for school shooter responses at primary and secondary school campuses. The delayed law enforcement response to the May 24, 2022, shooting has been widely condemned as a massive failure: Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers in the South Texas city of about 15,000 people, 80 miles west of San Antonio. What they're saying In a statement quoted by the Associated Press, McLaughlin said the following: "The Uvalde Strong Act is aimed at fixing the breakdowns in communication and coordination that were exposed in the Robb Elementary shooting," McLaughlin said. "This is about keeping our schools safer. ... We owe it to the families to take action that really matters." What's next The bill passed the Texas Senate on Monday. Abbott's signature is the last hurdle before the proposal becomes law. Two of the responding officers face multiple criminal charges of abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty. According to the Associated Press, they are due for trial in October. The Source Information in this article came from the Associated Press, Texas Legislature Online, and previous Fox 7 reporting.
