Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsDaniela Ibarra UVALDE, Texas – One day after the memorial outside Robb Elementary was vandalized crews with the City of Uvalde installed cameras The memorial, which is made up of crosses and mementos, honors the 19 children and two teachers killed at Robb Elementary on May 24 Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado told KSAT on Thursday the department planned to increase patrols and add cameras at the site A family member of one of the victims reported the damage Thursday morning to a state trooper around 6 “From the community members to all law enforcement that are here in Uvalde The Department of Public Safety has had troopers stationed outside of Robb Elementary since the 2022 shooting an unnamed spokesperson said troopers had a shift change around 5:30 a.m The agency said neither noticed anything suspicious KSAT has asked DPS if it plans to investigate what happened has offered a $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the vandalism “has generated buzz within our community,” Delgado told KSAT in a statement on Friday “We have had multiple calls with information and UPD Investigators are on top of each lead,” he said Copyright 2025 by KSAT - All rights reserved Daniela Ibarra joined the KSAT News team in July 2023 This isn’t her first time in the KSAT newsroom– the San Antonio native spent the summer of 2017 as an intern earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of North Texas Email Newsletters KSAT RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us KSAT Internships Careers at KSAT Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications Copyright © 2025 KSAT.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Schools will likely have to lay off social workers and counselors and college programs designed to train mental health providers may shut down after the Trump administration decided it would stop funding grants created under a bipartisan law passed in response to mass school shootings The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act came on the heels of the devastating 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas where an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 elementary schoolers and two teachers Gun control remains a deeply divisive issue but Democrats and Republicans agreed: Schools should get more money to address students’ mental health needs When it came time to distribute that money the Biden administration gave applicants the option to show how they planned to diversify the mental health profession and prepare educators to work with kids from diverse backgrounds — in a bid to help students who often have higher needs but struggle to access care outside of school Now schools that tailored their proposals to meet that criteria appear to be among those losing their funding “The Department has determined these grantees are violating the letter or purpose of Federal civil rights law; conflict with the Department’s policy of prioritizing merit and excellence in education; undermine the well-being of the students these programs are intended to help; or constitute an inappropriate use of federal funds,” Brandy Brown the deputy assistant secretary for K-12 education wrote in a Tuesday night email to members of Congress The Education Department has the authority to stop funding multi-year grant recipients and Wisconsin were among the grantees that lost their funding So did the San Diego County Office of Education and Teachers College at Columbia University which was supporting efforts in New York City schools “Grant recipients used the funding to implement race-based actions like recruiting quotas in ways that have nothing to do with mental health and could hurt the very students the grants are supposed to help,” Madi Biedermann The Trump administration is objecting, in particular, to the Biden administration’s decision to give schools more points on their grant application if they planned to increase the number of mental health staffers from diverse backgrounds or who were from the communities where they’d be working with kids The federal notice didn’t say what counted as “diverse,” and it noted that any hiring strategies used by schools had to follow federal civil rights laws “We were not there to say that this meant there had to be any type of racial quotas who until January served as the Education Department’s deputy assistant secretary for P-12 education “We simply said it would be wise and we encourage applicants to make hires of school-based mental health professionals that are reflective of the communities that they’re serving.” Many schools expected to get three or four more years of funding, but now the grants will run out in December. Wall said schools were well on their way to hitting the goal of hiring and training 14,000 mental health professionals “Not giving grant continuations has an extreme impact on whether or not the work can continue,” she said many of whom were bilingual or first-generation college students who couldn’t otherwise afford graduate school were slated to work in high-need schools in Harlem and East Harlem — parts of New York City where many newly arrived immigrants live and families often struggle to find stable housing schools won’t get the year of free services those trainees were going to provide And there will be gaps in the future pipeline “We were going to be producing professionals who would be working in these settings delivering school-based mental health services for years to come ideally their entire careers,” said Prerna Arora an associate professor of psychology and education at Teachers College who was overseeing the grant “We are in desperate need of these types of professionals.” The Trump administration is investigating Chicago Public Schools for launching a Black student success plan and has sought to dismantle other practices such as forming staff affinity groups based on race or allowing college students to participate in separate graduation ceremonies that celebrate their race or heritage an Education Department spokesperson said they could not provide a list of which school districts The Education Department told members of Congress that the terminated grants were worth $1 billion but that is almost certainly an overestimate as many grantees had already spent a chunk of their money The grants paid for 1,500 to 2,000 new mental health providers to work in schools across the U.S It also appears some schools kept their grants and Normal Public Schools in Oklahoma all told Chalkbeat they hadn’t been contacted about changes to their funding and similar cases in other school shootings led Congress to invest in mental health staff as a school safety measure With the help of federal COVID relief funds, many schools launched teletherapy services to address in-person staff shortages and to connect kids with bilingual therapists or mental health workers of color — who are often in especially short supply but can form close connections with kids who look like them or who faced similar challenges growing up While there isn’t much research on the effects of pairing school-based mental health workers with kids of similar backgrounds “we do know in research outside of the school environment that it’s actually really beneficial for students of color to have therapists or mental health supports from folks within their own communities,” said Nancy Duchesneau a senior P-12 research associate who studies children’s social and emotional well-being at the nonprofit EdTrust “If you have students of color in a school you really do want adults in the building — teachers mental health supports — who are of the same race and ethnicity to be able to better understand where students are coming from and make sure that the interventions or supports that they receive are not based on bias but are truly based upon the needs of the students,” Duchesneau said Get up to speed on everything you need to know about public education this week By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors Chris Rufo, the influential conservative activist, was the first to publicize the mental health grant cuts, the Associated Press reported. Rufo’s social media posts have prompted the Trump administration to cancel other education spending This time, Rufo posted examples from the grant proposals on the social media site X that he said were being used to “advance left-wing racialism and discrimination.” The Education Department pointed to some of those same examples when explaining what it found objectionable about the grants One grantee planned to hire 24 new school counselors and set a goal for eight to be people of color an Education Department spokesperson told Chalkbeat Other grantees said they would train therapists to address racial trauma or help mental health workers use a “critical compassion perspective,” instead of a colorblind perspective that assumes race and skin color don’t matter Another grantee wrote that they were training the next generation of school counselors “to recognize and challenge systemic injustices and the pervasiveness of white supremacy.” “These grants were never about addressing real mental health needs they were about pushing a political agenda into our classrooms,” Walters said in the statement adding that his education agency was “forced” to apply for the money by state lawmakers a spokesperson for the state’s education agency said the state was “deeply disappointed” by the Trump administration’s decision to end Colorado’s grant which was expected to total $7.5 million over five years The state was still rolling out its program to help schools recruit and retrain mental health staff so “no funds had yet been distributed to the field,” Meyer wrote Jill Underly, Wisconsin’s state superintendent, said in a news release that the decision to eliminate $8 million of the state’s planned $10 million grant was “indefensible” at a time “when communities are urgently asking for help.” the federal grant had helped Wisconsin schools hire an additional 350 mental health staffers and helped enroll 500 new graduate students in the University of Wisconsin’s certification program “Kids don’t get a chance to do-over their school experience while the federal government recalibrates its political agenda,” Underly wrote Chalkbeat’s New York bureau chief Amy Zimmer contributed reporting Kalyn Belsha is a senior national education reporter based in Chicago The seven new schools are part of a multiyear flurry of openings that city officials hope will reinvigorate the system at a time of faltering enrollment and New Jersey have in-state tuition programs for undocumented students the Trump administration plans to take action against those programs A funding shortfall in the state budget forced New York City to freeze enrollment for a popular child care voucher program for low-income families Superintendent Aleesia Johnson said that while she’s deeply concerned about the changes brought by a new property tax law the district will strive to engage the community Here’s what I wish I could say when someone asks President Donald Trump’s proposed federal budget would cut nearly $6 billion from K-12 education the proposal offers insight into Trump’s plans and neighbors all benefit from independent education journalism Join them to stay in the know with our free weekly newsletter By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. You may also receive occasional messages from sponsors CHALKBEAT IS A CIVIC NEWS COMPANY NEWSROOM ©2025 Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsRocky Garza Daniela Ibarra Adam Barraza UVALDE Texas – UPDATE 5/5/25: The Uvalde PD Facebook page said a contribution from the Bonnett Family has increased the reward to $3,500 The memorial crosses representing the names of 19 children and two teachers killed on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School were vandalized, according to a social media post by the Uvalde Police Department Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado said the damage happened between 11 p.m Degaldo said a couple of the crosses sustained damage but family members came by to fix up the memorial “We never imagined that anyone would be so callous to do something here at this location,” Delgado said A family member of a victim who stops by the memorial every morning reported the damage to a state trooper “Whose job is it to make sure that nothing happens to Robo Elementary and the memorial here?” asked KSAT reporter Daniela Ibarra Delgado urged the community not to blame DPS or its troopers “They have been—and continue to be—a vital partner in our efforts to keep Uvalde safe,“ Delgado wrote and collaboration are essential to the progress we are making as a department and as a community." the guardian of shooting victim Uziyah Garcia While it’s a place for people to reflect and pay their respects these teachers — they were what made this world good," Cross said He doesn’t understand why someone would disrespect the victims this way “Have our children not gone through enough And I know that they’re not here to know what’s going on or anything but we still are.” Uvalde CISD Superintendent Ashley Chohlis provided KSAT with a statement on Thursday on behalf of the district This act has caused profound sorrow and grief for us all in our community as we continue to mourn the loss of our cherished angels The school serves as a beacon of hope and remembrance for our community and we encourage everyone to come together in compassion and support during this difficult time,” the statement said Chohlis stated that the district is working closely with Uvalde police to identify those responsible Anyone with relevant information on the investigation is encouraged to contact the Uvalde Police’s Investigations Division at 830-278-9147 We will update the story when more information becomes available The Texas House gave unanimous approval on Tuesday to a bill that would improve how law enforcement responds to mass shootings. The bill was proposed by state Rep. Don McLaughlin, who was the mayor of Uvalde when a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary school in 2022 The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration McLaughlin said the bill ensures confusion and hesitation will never be an excuse again McLaughlin said: “It demands clear command and immediate actions when lives are on the line but today we made sure Texas is ready for the future.” The bill has several requirements in it that could create a more organized response to another mass shooting It would require school districts and law enforcement to meet annually and plan their response to an active shooter situation and mandate officers to complete a training program on how to respond to an active shooter at primary and secondary schools It would also provide training grants for officers who was critical of the response to the shooting in Uvalde also included in his bill a requirement that policy and emergency medical service providers file a report detailing the event if they respond to an active shooter scene The report would be due no later than 60 days after an incident — a requirement aimed at giving the public faster information on mass shootings McLaughlin spoke about the support he’s received about the bill in committee meetings communication and training,” McLaughlin said Cheers erupted in the room when the final vote was announced Investigations into the shooting revealed an uncoordinated response among law enforcement officers responding to the shooting. Officers reportedly waited for instructions couldn’t find the right keys to enter classrooms and were fearful of an AR-15 style rifle as there was a lack of ballistic shields and flash-bangs Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival Texas’ breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase Choose an amount or learn more about membership by Yami Virgin and Photojournalist Paul Sanchez Sandra Cruz walks past Robb Elementary School—the place where her daughter took her last breath The memorial crosses honoring the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting had been vandalized and I just park there and say a little prayer.. was one of the 18 children killed alongside two teachers in the massacre nearly three years ago “She would be 13,” Cruz said when asked how old Ellie would be today Cruz began picking up the crosses but quickly became fearful unsure if whoever had done this was still nearby She says the dispatcher told her to contact the trooper who was supposed to be on duty at the school “I had my safety vest because I was on my way to work so I’m trying to flag down the trooper that’s parked on the side of the school,” Cruz explained Cruz said she drove to the squad car when she got no response “I literally drove where the trooper was at and I couldn’t see anything because it was dark because he turned on the light in the inside of his vehicle and he opened the door and got off and said She says she asked him if he had seen anything So I asked him if he knew what had happened I just got here to work not too long ago.” Cruz wonders if the trooper would have seen something—if he hadn’t allegedly been reclined in the car She has a message for whoever damaged the memorial “I don’t understand for what reason you did that y’all just see babies' crosses as just crosses Y’all don’t see what’s behind them or anything We have reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) about the allegation and are waiting for a response on that But they did send a statement on the alleged vandalism that says: "The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) does have a Trooper patrolling the area around Robb Elementary School at all times with shift change happening around 5:30 a.m Neither Trooper on duty overnight reported seeing anything suspicious until one was approached by a concerned Uvalde resident shortly after 6 o’clock this morning while inside his patrol vehicle He was then notified that the crosses at the memorial had been moved The Uvalde Police Department (UPD) is leading the investigation into the damage at the memorial so we would refer you there for any questions." Cruz and other parents say the act of cruelty has only deepened their grief by Amanda Moreno | Stephanie Esquivel | SBG San Antonio Texas - The memorial at Robb Elementary School constructed in the wake of one of the deadliest school shootings in Texas history which includes white wooden crosses bearing the names of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the May 24 The Uvalde Police Department confirmed the vandalism on Thursday RELATED: Vandalism halts efforts to prevent further tragedies at highwater crossing Robb Elementary has remained a symbol of sorrow and resilience since the 2022 tragedy when an 18-year-old gunman opened fire inside two adjoining classrooms The massacre drew national attention and prompted intense scrutiny of law enforcement’s delayed response as well as renewed debates over school safety and gun legislation The memorial site has since become a sacred place of mourning and remembrance Its desecration has left the community reeling once again "To violate it is to violate the spirit of Uvalde itself," said Uvalde Police Chief Homer Delgado Families of some of the Robb Elementary School shooting victims had a lot of questions as to how the vandalism could have happened because the campus is supposed to be under surveillance around the clock What did any of these children do to deserve that What did those teachers do to deserve that blatant disrespect Was them having their lives taken from them in such a malicious way not good enough Now we want to disgrace memorials about them,” said Brett Cross one of the 19 children killed at Robb Elementary Cross is not only frustrated by the vandalism of the crosses but also hurt by it He doesn’t understand how vandalism was possible since DPS is supposed to guard the campus around the clock “That also doesn't take away from the fact that officers failed here once again at this very same location,” said Cross We asked Chief Delgado how this could have happened Delgado said the Uvalde Police Department is not in charge of watching Robb Elementary “I haven't been able to confirm if DPS had anybody stationed here last night between those hours,” said Chief Delgado DPS released a statement: " The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) does have a Trooper patrolling the area around Robb Elementary School at all times so we would refer you there for any questions." Chief Delgado released a statement addressed to Uvalde residents in support of DPS: "I am aware that there has been talk circulating in our community placing blame on our partners with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for the events that occurred at Robb School last night I want to be absolutely clear—this was not their responsibility When I accepted the position as Chief of Police I made a solemn promise to protect and serve this community to the best of my ability The safety and security of our city fall under my leadership and I accept full responsibility for any harm that comes to Uvalde That is both my professional obligation and a deeply personal commitment Please do not direct blame toward the DPS Troopers They have been—and continue to be—a vital partner in our efforts to keep Uvalde safe and collaboration are essential to the progress we are making as a department and as a community I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that incidents like this do not happen again and I will always do everything in my power to earn and honor it." “It's very difficult for our community and whoever did this caused tremendous pain to the families and that's something that you know we're committed to keep from ever happening again,” said Chief Delgado the Uvalde Police Department is looking for additional ways to protect the temporary memorial until the permanent memorial is built “The police department itself went out and purchased new cameras this morning that we could temporarily place right away so that even if someone happens to be able to come in here and do something like this we'll have evidence of who they may have been,” said Chief Delgado Uvalde CISD Superintendent Ashley Chohlis released the following statement on Thursday afternoon: "The memorial crosses at Robb Elementary Uvalde CISD is working closely with the Uvalde Police Department to identify those responsible for this act and we encourage everyone to come together in compassion and support during this difficult time Thank you for your unwavering commitment to our community." Chief Delgado announced on Thursday a $2,500 reward is being offered by State Representative and former Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for the memorial vandalism "This act of disrespect and cruelty has caused further pain to grieving families and our entire community,” Chief Delgado said in a statement “We are fully committed to identifying and prosecuting those responsible." The Uvalde Police Department is asking any neighbors who possibly have surveillance footage to contact the police department at (830) 278-9147 Uvalde PD is also working with Uvalde CISD police and other law enforcement agencies on the investigation Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — The Texas Legislature is moving forward with a bill to improve emergency response to active shooter events. House Bill 33 has the support of 76 lawmakers who want to close the gaps in school safety response plans The bill is designed to get all first responders on the same page when they show up at a school with a gunman killing students Almost three years ago, 19 children and two teachers were killed during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde “I was one of the first to witness the chaos that unfolded,” said Texas Rep Don McLaughlin who was the Uvalde Mayor in 2022 Students died while waiting over an hour for police to act and save them “We must overhaul our approach to school safety and active shooter situations We cannot afford to repeat the catastrophic mistakes made during the response at Robb Elementary,” said McLaughlin PREVIOUS COVERAGE | Uvalde victim's families file lawsuit against 92 DPS officers for 'shocking failures' McLaughlin says HB33 improves preparedness so that when tragedy strikes The Director of DPS says the outcome at Uvalde might have been different if first responders had a more coordinated response A lot of them had the ALERT training but they were getting conflicting information,” said Colonel Freeman Martin Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) standardized protocols for law enforcement response and require regular joint training exercises to make sure police fire and EMS are fully prepared when a crisis strikes The Sheriff’s Association of Texas supports the bill but asked lawmakers about the value of adding more training when all the requirements of earlier legislation to improve school safety have not been met “We still have not even completed the training that that established,” said Sheriff Brian Hawthorne with the Sheriff’s Association of Texas “We’re kind of putting things on top of one another and we haven’t finished what we started with HB3.” Supporters of the bill don’t think Texas can put off establishing more comprehensive guidelines for how all agencies respond together to active shooter events The bill requires annual training exercises to get first responders on the same page and working more effectively together “The safety of our children shouldn’t be a question of who is in charge It should be about how we all step up together,” said McLaughlin House Bill 33 has the support of 76 lawmakers After Wednesday’s hearing more adjustments are expected to be made to the proposed legislation Texas — The Uvalde Parks Department and Uvalde Police Department have announced the installation of cameras near the memorial for Robb Elementary RELATED | Vandalism at Robb Elementary memorial reignites grief and anger in Uvalde community This move is part of their commitment to "protect and serve the community," according to a post by the Uvalde Police Department former Uvalde Mayor and current Texas Representative Don McLaughlin is offering a $2,500 reward for information leading to an arrest Don McLaughlin wasn’t supposed to be mayor of Uvalde during the town’s darkest hour the small city of 15,000 limited mayors to three two-year terms McLaughlin asked the city council to change the city charter so that mayors could serve four-year terms just as members of the council did They agreed and the city’s residents voted to let McLaughlin run for the inaugural four-year term McLaughlin won that election with nearly 60% of the vote after leading the city through the COVID-19 pandemic McLaughlin would face the toughest challenges of his political career: on May 24 a gunman with a semiautomatic rifle barricaded himself in a classroom at Robb Elementary and killed 19 students and two teachers as hundreds of police waited outside the doors adding it to the list of cities devastated by mass shootings It would also change the trajectory of McLaughlin’s political life he would launch a bid to represent Uvalde in the statehouse where he has promised to keep fighting for accountability for the botched law enforcement response to the shooting One of his first bills at the Legislature is aimed at addressing many of the law enforcement shortcomings of that day which he has dubbed the “Uvalde Strong Act.” Conspicuously absent from the freshman Republican’s solutions is any type of gun control legislation. Unlike his predecessor, Democratic state Rep. Tracy King, McLaughlin does not support a proposal to raise the legal age from 18 to 21 for purchasing leasing or renting a semi-automatic rifle like the one used in the shooting The Uvalde gunman was 18 at the time of the assault and had just purchased the gun he used The proposal is supported by families of some of the victims that's not going to solve the problem,” said McLaughlin who said he favors an approach that focuses on addressing mental health and depictions of violence in movies and video games McLaughlin said he’s willing to sit down with those who have opposing views on issues to hash out a compromise a tactic he said worked well for him as mayor But reaching that kind of consensus will be a lot more difficult in an increasingly polarized Legislature Those close to him say McLaughlin will be a loyal advocate for causes he believes in and a fierce and vocal adversary to those he opposes — a characteristic that by McLaughlin’s own admission could get him in trouble with powerful players in Austin “If you ask him a question you’re going to get a direct answer he will most likely tell you exactly what he thinks,” said John Yeackle a one-time political opponent and friend of McLaughlin’s But I can assure you he’s not going to change a former University of Texas football player who tied the knot six days after their first date The young family moved to Uvalde when McLaughlin was a toddler His father coached football and started working in the pipe business The younger McLaughlin spent his entire childhood in Uvalde before going to Texas State University and then San Angelo State University for college He returned home to work with his dad before graduating the father and son team opened up a family business now a 92-employee business that installs and removes pipes for oil and gas services and also repurposes used pipes Owning the business has given McLaughlin a great degree of economic freedom and allowed him to donate large sums to local causes and self-fund his initial forays into politics steps that frequently drew criticism from opponents who were not able to match that level of spending McLaughlin said he was recruited to run for mayor by the Uvalde Chamber of Commerce in 2014 because they wanted the city to be more “business friendly.” was McLaughlin’s opponent but on the campaign trail the two men found that very little separated them on the issues By the time they were campaigning at early voting sites the two were introducing one another to potential voters “He would introduce me to people and say ‘This is John Yeackle he’s running for mayor,’ and I would do the same,” Yeackle said “It threw people… There was no animosity that there typically had been from other races who now leads the chamber of commerce and serves on the Uvalde County Commissioners Court said the two men’s interactions during the race show why McLaughlin is such a popular figure in his hometown They don’t see eye-to-eye on everything: Yeackle describes himself as a traditional Reagan Republican while McLaughlin is more combative But Yeackle said McLaughlin is willing to talk with those who disagree with him “He will meet anyone in the community to discuss a problem regardless of where they're coming from,” Yeackle said “I won’t sit here and play partisan politics with Don McLaughlin because in that moment he met the moment as best he could and others did not,” said Gutierrez who spent much of last session advocating for Uvalde families “We were on the same page with the idea that we were getting zero transparency from DPS and people at the state I know he was very helpful in trying to push for those things to happen.” But political adversaries said McLaughlin can also be blistering in his opposition a Democrat whose father ran against McLaughlin in 2020 recalls a city council meeting where McLaughlin used profanity to express his displeasure with Garza’s comments McLaughlin had proposed a city resolution that would authorize local police to charge people with a misdemeanor and up to a $500 fine for campaigning outside of city-designated areas at the town’s civic center Garza argued that such enforcement was the purview of the state and its approval could trample on free speech rights “Nobody is denying nobody nothing, that’s a bullshit deal,” McLaughlin fired off, according to Garza and news reports The resolution was voted down 4-1 and McLaughlin later called him to apologize but it was an example of McLaughlin playing to his conservative base which has increasingly voiced concerns about the integrity of elections “He plays that role of ‘I’m not gonna back down,’ ” Garza said McLaughlin’s pugilistic temper manifested itself in other ways during his time as mayor When record crossings at the Mexican border led to high-speed pursuits of smugglers in Uvalde that damaged property and endangered roads McLaughlin took to national television to blast the response of federal and state leaders As a frequent guest on Fox News, he called the Biden administration’s response to an influx of Haitian migrants at the border a “clown show,” said “the border is wide open” and claimed migrants had more rights than American citizens Even his own party was not spared. In 2021, he endorsed Gov. Greg Abbott’s opponent in the Republican primary for governor, calling Abbott a “fraud” for not doing enough to control migrant crossings in Texas VF reopened the plant as a warranty fulfillment center and rehired 30 people McLaughlin remained a relatively unknown small-town mayor a gunman tore through his small town’s peace The Uvalde shooting gripped the nation’s attention because on top of its death toll which included small children the law enforcement failures were laid bare almost immediately Nearly 400 police officers waited outside as a shooter barricaded himself in conjoined classrooms with students and teachers Videos spread on social media showing police stopping parents from entering the building to try to save their kids And 911 calls revealed terrified teachers and students calling police for help as the gunman moved through the school police did not confront the gunman for more than an hour McLaughlin has blasted the law enforcement response. His biggest criticism has been for the Department of Public Safety which had 91 troopers at the event and whose leader initially praised the actions of police. But McLaughlin has also criticized his city’s own report that “exonerated” local police officers who responded to the shooting and denounced Mitchell the local district attorney investigating whether there were prosecutable offenses by law enforcement officers who responded to the scene The moment that brought him to national prominence was a day after the school shooting at a news briefing when Beto O’Rourke interrupted the proceedings and accused Abbott and other state officials of “doing nothing” to stop mass shootings still in a walker from having his hip replaced a week before jabbed his finger toward O’Rourke from the stage and lit into him “I can’t believe you’re a sick son of a bitch that would come to a deal like this to make a political issue,” he said As a lawmaker, McLaughlin has made addressing the failures of the Robb Elementary shooting response a top priority. One of his first bills will require law enforcement agencies to have plans for mass shooting events and mandate exercise drills at least once a year The bill would also provide training to local officials about best practices for sharing information with the public during mass shootings or other critical events But some families of the victims say they are disappointed McLaughlin will not fight for their priority gun control bill whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in the shooting said she and other family members of victims met with McLaughlin last month to ask him to support “Raise the Age” legislation but McLaughlin did not commit to doing so She said she would continue asking for his support “We really wanted a straight answer,” Mata-Rubio said “As someone who saw first-hand what gun violence can do to a community we would hope he would support something like this to save other Texas residents… Had this bill been law in May 2022 my child and 18 other children and two teachers would still be alive.” McLaughlin previously expressed support for a “Raise the Age” bill and the city council had unanimously approved a resolution calling for lawmakers to pass such legislation McLaughlin missed the meeting but told a reporter at the time: “I would support raising the age there’s nothing wrong with raising the age.” McLaughlin says his support for the legislation was a reactionary response he said “someone determined to kill will not be deterred by gun laws” and the state “must focus on ensuring that when a person does gain access to a firearm Outside of addressing the aftermath of the shooting McLaughlin said he wants to focus on issues important to his district like immigration and ensuring his district has enough water to maintain its agriculture-based economy But McLaughlin said he doesn’t want to be a rubber stamp on bills just because they’re pushed by fellow Republicans He wants to talk to stakeholders and come to his own decision “I will get in trouble at some point because I’m gonna call it like I see it,” McLaughlin said Take the Texas GOP priority to ban cities and counties from paying lobbyists to advocate for them in Austin the so-called ban on “taxpayer funded lobbying.” McLaughlin said there are some lobbyists who take advantage of cities but he does not support a ban Uvalde pays a lobbyist to track legislation in Austin which was crucial in 2017 when the Edwards Aquifer Authority changed its rules to allow the sale or lease of water meant for farming for other uses like house development sued and temporarily blocked the rule change it would have devastated Uvalde’s farming and economy The lobbyist is “watching things that may affect not only the city but the county and our region,” McLaughlin said “Do I think it’s wrong to spend money on that McLaughlin also said he’s watching the school vouchers proposal – Abbott’s priority legislation – very closely because he wants to make sure his local school districts aren’t hurt “I'm not opposed to school choice,” he said if it's gonna gut my public school systems.” Still, McLaughlin signed on as a co-author of the school voucher bill and supports a related bill to increase funding for public schools. Abbott endorsed him in a contested primary last year, emphasizing that he would be a fighter for expanded “school choice,” the governor’s preferred terms for his voucher-like legislation Critics said that cuts against McLaughlin’s self-styling as his own man They say he is ignoring the needs of his community for partisanship “but on the two issues of gun reform and school vouchers it’s a flat out ‘No.’ He got on the Abbott bandwagon and he’s gonna ride it out.” The former mayor is unbothered by the criticism He knows he’ll have to take tough votes and sometimes anger constituents as well as political allies He hopes it won’t lead him to be a “one-term wonder” but he said it won’t affect how he plans to vote He steels himself for criticism by thinking back to a lesson an old minister taught him about hiding a skunk under a table “It’s better to throw it on the table and deal with it,” McLaughlin said “because if you stick it under the table it ain’t going to go away.” Disclosure: Edwards Aquifer Authority has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. 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Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsKSAT DIGITAL STAFF This evening mothers who lost their children in the deadliest school shooting in Texas history made their case against a bill that would allow people as young as 18 to carry a handgun people must be at least 21 to buy a handgun from a licensed dealer House Bill 2470 would eliminate age-based restrictions on guns Supporters argue that young adults should be allowed to exercise their Second Amendment rights opponents contend that this change would increase gun-related incidents Among those opposing the bill are families in Uvalde where an 18-year-old shooter killed 19 students and two teachers almost three years ago “This kind of pain forever changes who you are,” said Gloria Cazares “And now with proposals like this to lower the age to buy a handgun and you’ll make even more mothers fear for their children’s lives.” another mother of a Uvalde shooting victim As we work tirelessly to raise the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21 House Bill 2470 seeks to lower the age from 21 to 18 to purchase handguns More children with more guns is not the answer.” Both Cazares and Rubio testified before the Homeland Security Public Safety and Veterans Affairs Committee it could set a precedent for similar legislative changes in other states who was mayor of Uvalde when a gunman tore through the town’s peace and killed 19 children and two teachers at an elementary school has filed a bill aimed at addressing some of the failures that plagued the police response to that shooting House Bill 33 would mandate law enforcement agencies across the state to create crisis response policies a provision that takes aim at the nearly 400 law enforcement officers who waited more than an hour before confronting the shooter who had barricaded himself in a classroom – a decision that went against nationwide active shooter protocols “What happened that day was a failure of duty and preparedness,” McLaughlin said in a statement and innocent children and teachers were left defenseless We must do what we can to ensure these mistakes are never repeated The Uvalde Strong Act is about guaranteeing that when a crisis strikes there is no confusion and no delay—only immediate The bill would require school districts and law enforcement to meet once a year to plan their response to an active shooter situation It would also mandate annual multi-agency exercise drills on how to respond to an active shooter Texas already requires individual officers to undergo training for active shooter incidents but it does not require annual exercise drills for law enforcement agencies The bill would also provide grants for officers to train on how to respond to an active shooter incident McLaughlin’s bill also would require the Department of Public Safety to enter into mutual aid agreements with local law enforcement agencies that would dictate how the agencies would share resources during a critical incident and how to coordinate the response McLaughlin blasted DPS in the aftermath of the Uvalde shooting for not taking control of the shooting incident state and local police deferred to a local school police chief who was without a radio during the incident Police officers would be required to take courses on setting up an incident command center during a critical event under the bill state officials moved to address school shootings by setting aside funding to provide school police with bullet proof shields that would help protect them against shooters with high-powered assault rifles a Democrat who represented Uvalde and who was succeeded by McLaughlin also moved to change state law to bar people under 21 from purchasing renting or leasing semi-automatic rifles like the one used in the shooting The legislation came at the behest of some of the families of Uvalde victims but it failed to reach the House floor for debate after stiff opposition from gun rights advocates does not support raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles and his proposed legislation focuses on the police response to active shooters The bill would require police and emergency medical services providers who respond to an active shooter event to file a report detailing the event how many deaths occurred and any problems encountered during the response The preliminary report would be due no later than 60 days after an incident McLaughlin was critical of the law enforcement response to the Uvalde shooting and what he saw as obfuscation by police and state officials The requirement for a preliminary report is aimed at giving the public speedier insight into mass shooting events something that frustrated officials in Uvalde as well as the families of victims The bill is among House Speaker Dustin Burrows’ priority bills an indication that it has a high likelihood of passing the chamber Burrows led an investigation into the massacre that detailed “systemic failures and egregious poor decision making” by nearly everyone involved The inquiry detailed a police response that disregarded its own active shooter training and a chaotic uncoordinated response by multiple law enforcement agencies that descended on the school The bill would require police to make available “sufficient tactical equipment” to allow officers to effectively respond to a critical incident police did not have tools to breach a door and did not rush into the room where the shooter was barricaded because they did not have bullet proof shields bullet proof shields and bullet proof vests as part of the tactical equipment departments would be required to provide The legislation also aims to provide mental health support for first responders before a critical incident by requiring training about what to expect in a mass casualty event the bill would recommend that local governments provide mental health counseling to the first responders We can’t wait to welcome you to the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival Texas (AP) — A Texas judge on Thursday refused to throw out criminal charges accusing the former Uvalde schools police chief of putting children at risk during a slow response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting Pete Arredondo said he was improperly charged and that the shooter was responsible for putting the victims in danger in the school attack on May 24 Nineteen children and two teachers were killed Arredondo also said he was scapegoated for the halting police response Nearly 400 law enforcement agents rushed to the scene in rural South Texas but waited more than 70 minutes to confront and kill the gunman in a fourth-grade classroom Judge Sid Harle handed down the ruling during a hearing in a Uvalde courtroom Several victim family members attended the hearing but left without comment Arredondo has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of abandoning or endangering a child each of which carried a punishment of up to two years in jail He and former Uvalde schools officer Adrian Gonzales are the only officers who have been charged for their actions that day Gonzales has not asked the judge to dismiss his charges but could at a later date Gonzales and Arredondo attended the hearing in person READ MORE: Uvalde shooter’s uncle begged to speak with gunman in newly released 911 recording said he will ask for the trial to be moved out of Uvalde County because he believes his client cannot receive a fair trial there Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo speaks at a press conference following the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde Photo by Mikala Compton/USA TODAY NETWORK via REUTERS The indictment against Arredondo alleges he did not follow his active shooter training and made critical decisions that slowed the police response while the gunman was “hunting” his victims It alleges that instead of confronting the gunman immediately Arredondo caused delays by telling officers to evacuate a hallway to wait for a SWAT team evacuating students from other areas of the building first and trying to negotiate with the shooter while victims inside the classroom were wounded and dying Arredondo’s attorneys say the danger that day was not caused by him They argued Arredondo was blamed for trying to save the lives of the other children in the building and have warned that prosecuting him would open many future law enforcement actions to similar charges “Arredondo did nothing to put those children in the path of a gunman,” said Arredondo attorney Matthew Hefti The massacre at Robb Elementary was one of the worst school shootings in U.S and the law enforcement response has been widely condemned as a massive failure as well and school and city police rushed to the campus While terrified students and teachers called 911 from inside classrooms dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do a team of officers breached the classroom and killed the gunman the focus of the slow response turned on Arredondo who was described by other responding agencies as the incident commander in charge Multiple federal and state investigations have laid bare cascading problems in law enforcement training and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers Several victims or their families have filed multiple state and federal lawsuits Associated Press reporter Jim Vertuno in Austin Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues © 1996 - 2025 NewsHour Productions LLC PBS is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization Subscribe to Here's the Deal with Lisa Desjardins Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More Texas — Almost three years after the Robb Elementary shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers a new school could help aid the Uvalde community’s healing Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) Superintendent Ashley Chohlis is hoping for that healing “We celebrate the milestone in our community’s journey toward healing and renewal,” Chohlis said.  Chohlis revealed that the $60 million cost of building Legacy Elementary via the federal New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) program filled the gap by encouraging private investment in underserved areas usually financial institutions JP Morgan Chase will come and purchase the tax credits,” Melissa Pillars said they will put equity into a construction project like this.”  The money will be used for the physical construction of the school Chohlis reports that fundraising is ongoing to acquire the furniture fixtures and equipment needed for the school “Many of the things going inside of the school will be donated by very generous partners and we are very thankful for that,” Chohlis said.  The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation and the Kate Marmion Charitable Foundation are collaborating to fully fund the remaining school resources before the fall opening this project has involved progressing without forgetting the past “This project has been such a labor of love from the moment of its inception We are going to make sure everyone is comfortable to come into the building,” Chohlis said.  She hopes each generation of students will feel the love in this community as they walk through those doors UVALDE, Texas (AP) — A Texas judge on Thursday refused to throw out criminal charges accusing the former Uvalde schools police chief of putting children at risk during a slow response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting Arredondo also said he was scapegoated for the halting police response. Nearly 400 law enforcement agents rushed to the scene in rural South Texas but waited more than 70 minutes to confront and kill the gunman in a fourth-grade classroom Judge Sid Harle handed down the ruling during a hearing in an Uvalde courtroom The indictment against Arredondo alleges he did not follow his active shooter training and made critical decisions that slowed the police response while the gunman was “hunting” his victims They argue Arredondo was blamed for trying to save the lives of the other children in the building as well as school and city police rushed to the campus "I am not myself without my children," Kimberly Mata-Rubio says in a video posted to TikTok Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Guadalupe “Javier” AyalaGuadalupe (Javier) Ayala 2025 at Uvalde Memorial Hospital in Uvalde He didn’t have the opportunity for much formal education but that didn’t stop him from being an exceptional provider From working in the fields for 28 years to driving semi trucks for 21 in his early and prime years once retired (Javier) spent his time raising livestock such as; numerous goats and pigs He also created a small personal nursery with various trees and many plants He always spent his time outdoors caring for his plants building a new project or just sitting outside with his trusty companion “Tango” his German Shepard dog at 2:00pm and a rosary to follow at 7:00pm at Rushing-Estes Knowles Funeral Home 2025 at 10:00am with interment to follow in Batesville Guadalupe is survived by his loving wife Manuela (Mela) Ayala of 52 years; five children Francisco Ayala and wife Shavonne of Batesville and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren  He was preceded in death by his father Jose Ayala; mother Manuela Torres-Ayala; brother Pablo Ayala and son Armando Javier Ayala both of Monterrey Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo leaves the Uvalde County Justice Center (Sam Owens/The San Antonio Express-News via AP) the parents of Jacklyn Cazares who was killed in the May 2022 Robb Elementary mass shooting along with 18 other children and two teachers walk out of the Uvalde County Justice Center after attending a pretrial hearing for two officers Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo prepares to walk into the Uvalde County Justice Center for a pre-trial hearing A couple visits murals created to honor the victims of the shootings at Robb Elementary School Former school district police officer Adrian Gonzales and his legal team walk into the Uvalde County Justice Center Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo and his attorney Paul Looney walk into the Uvalde County Justice Center This combo of booking images provided by Uvalde County the former police chief for schools in Uvalde a former police officer for schools in Uvalde Former Uvalde school district police chief Pete Arredondo is driven away from the Uvalde County Justice Center Judge Sid Harle rejected Pete Arredondo’s claim that was he improperly charged and that only the shooter was responsible for putting the victims in danger Nineteen children and two teachers were killed in the shooting on May 24 former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales said he will ask for the trial to be moved out of Uvalde because his client cannot get a fair trial there Uvalde County is mostly rural with fewer than 25,000 residents about 85 miles (140 kilometers) west of San Antonio Both men have pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of abandoning or endangering a child each of which carry punishment of up to two years in jail Gonzales has not asked the judge to dismiss his charges A federal investigation of the shooting identified Arredondo as the incident commander in charge although he has argued that state police should have set up a command post outside the school and taken control Gonzales was among the first officers to arrive on the scene He was accused of abandoning his training and not confronting the shooter even after hearing gunshots as he stood in a hallway Uvalde County prosecutors told the judge Arredondo acted recklessly “The state has alleged he is absolutely aware of the danger of the children,” said assistant district attorney Bill Turner the uncle of 9-year-old Jacklyn Cazares who was killed in the shooting was one of several family members of victims at the hearing it’s hurtful and painful to hear Arredondo’s attorneys try to persuade the judge to get the charges dismissed,” Rizo said He called the wait for a trial exhausting and questioned whether moving the trial would help the defense “I think what’s happened in Uvalde … you’ll probably get a better chance at conviction if it’s moved To hold their own accountable is going to be very difficult.” Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team 147.45.197.102 : 336e06af-6a34-4a72-8230-47f08e6d In an image from video released by the Uvalde Police Dept. shows the scene inside the Robb Elementary school during the shooting in Uvalde shows the scene outside the Robb Elementary school during the shooting in Uvalde FILE - Crosses are surrounded by flowers and other items at a memorial for the victims of a shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde The hours of new video made public Tuesday include body-camera footage similar to what officials had previously released the footage underlines the hesitant police response in the small South Texas city where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom in one of the worst school shootings in U.S officers can be seen doing chest compressions on one victim outside and others yelling for help Streaks of blood line a crowded hallway and pleas for help continue to ring out as victims are carried out A Uvalde officer was put on paid leave and subsequently resigned following the discovery of the additional videos in August Donald Page said that his body camera footage was missing after the initial release which led to officials turning over the unreleased video to the district attorney’s office The department announced an internal investigation soon after but it remains unclear how the newly released footage was discovered The release of the material by city officials over the summer followed a prolonged legal fight with The Associated Press and other news organizations Desperate parents who had gathered outside the building pleaded with them to go in Previously released audio recordings contained 911 calls from terrified instructors and students as gunshots rang out amid pleas for help Associated Press reporters Claudia Lauer in Philadelphia and Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report Texas—The Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation has announced that the new Legacy Elementary School's costs have been fully funded Related: Major donation helps get new Uvalde elementary school a step closer to being fully funded The combined investment of $21 million was made from the Chase Empowerment Reinvestment Fund and the Nonprofit Finance Fund through New Market Tax Credits (NMTCs) which is a federal program designed to encourage private investment in underserved areas The money will cover the building and construction of the elementary school Legacy Elementary School will be home to students who attended Robb Elementary Robb's doors were shut after 21 innocent people were killed on May 24 The school is being built on schedule and is anticipated to be finished in the fall of 2025 according to the Uvalde CISD Moving Forward Foundation Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsSpencer Heath Rocky Garza MAVERICK COUNTY Texas – Authorities are investigating the cause of a fatal crash that closed a road between Eagle Pass and Uvalde according to the Uvalde County Precinct 6 Constable’s Office Uvalde Constable Emmanual Zamora said on Facebook that first responders with Maverick County and the Texas Department of Public Safety are on the scene Zamora shared that one person was trapped inside a vehicle The road is expected to be closed until around 6 p.m KSAT will update you once more information becomes available who covered the event locally as it unfolded is donating his royalties to the Robb School Memorial Fund Texas A&M University Press has published an account of the 2022 Uvalde, Texas, school shooting authored by the publisher of the Uvalde Leader-News “Uvalde’s Darkest Hour,” by Craig Garnett chronicles the tragedy’s horrific chain of events and presents the community’s attempts to heal and seek meaningful change on the local and state level While Garnett covered the event as it happened from a journalist’s lens Among his five-person staff was Kimberly Rubio whose 10-year-old daughter Lexi was killed in her classroom along with 18 classmates and two teachers He will be donating his royalties from sales of the book to the Robb School Memorial Fund The university’s presence in motorsports is a season-long story and celebration of purpose teamwork and the people who engineer a brighter Department of Chemistry doctoral student Evan Fox is pioneering research on sustainable battery materials that could reduce reliance on traditional resources and power the future of energy storage While most owners report behavior problems as relatively minor or not worth addressing Bonnie Beaver’s study finds that behavior problems are a common part of dog ownership watch videos and discover how Texas A&M University is shaping an innovative more secure future for the citizens of Texas and the world You cannot drive through Uvalde without encountering monuments to the tragedy that has become synonymous with its name and remembrances encircle a fountain—one for every life lost in the massacre at Robb Elementary School on May 24 painted several stories tall on the side of buildings smile down on citizens like guardian angels Flags bearing the slogan “Uvalde Strong” stand in many yards they far outnumbered political signs.  is more complicated than the worst thing that has happened to it and Hispanic; after the shooting it remains so that it joined the red wave that saw eight traditionally Democratic South Texas counties turn Republican Uvalde County—which includes far-flung communities such as Knippa and Uvalde Estates—voted Republican before 2016 Now it has done so by a far greater margin In 2016 Donald Trump took the county by eleven percentage points Uvalde chose Trump for the same reasons that drove support for the Republican candidate along the “blue wall” of South Texas Rent and property taxes have skyrocketed here Inflation has driven up the cost of groceries The chairman of the local Democratic Party told me the party had made the mistake of targeting voters in urban areas Many in the area hold conservative views on LGBTQ issues and abortion that Kamala Harris seemed to have no discernable platform apart from being the anti-Trump The most common reason voters cited to me for voting red was the crisis at the border in the ways many other small towns within an hour’s drive to Mexico are ordinary It just so happens that Uvalde’s wound has made it the center of a national spectacle and political fury gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke interrupted a press conference to lambast his opponent over the state’s permissive gun laws “This is on you.” O’Rourke joined by families of the shooting victims campaigned for legislation that would prohibit Texans under the age of 21 to purchase a semiautomatic rifle O’Rourke lost the governor’s race and Uvalde County voters favored Abbott by 22 percentage points.  vying for the chance to challenge Republican incumbent Ted Cruz Gutierrez’s platform included an assault weapons ban who voted against a bipartisan bill that passed after the massacre and restricted firearms access for those convicted of committing domestic violence got about a thousand fewer votes than Trump but still carried the county over Allred Many Democrats thought they could win in Texas by running on expanded gun control; the idea has surely now been put to rest The abundance of its white-tail deer has long made Uvalde County a nationally recognized destination for hunters When I arrived the week after the election deer season was in full swing; having begun in late September Mule deer heads lined the walls of the office of Don McLaughlin at the headquarters of steel company DKM Enterprises he now prefers to sit in a blind and watch the creatures rather than shoot them “I don’t kill a deer for fun,” he told me it’s because I want the meat.” A Year of “Protecting” Children in Texas By “We had so many high-speed chases and bailouts in our community that people wouldn’t let their kids play out in the front yard unless an adult was out there,” McLaughlin said “And most of them had a gun or something around.” A Texas House Committee report found that when teachers and administrators at Robb Elementary received a lockdown alert after the gunman crashed his car near the building the response lacked urgency because they assumed the crash was just the result of another high-speed pursuit the school had received nearly fifty such alerts since February “That day just turned out not to be a bailout but everybody got complacent,” McLaughlin said citizens often came to him with concerns about the border—“these are the things that people got tired of.” To better understand Uvalde’s issues and how voters think of them I traveled there and talked with residents at Walmart and other grocery stores Inside the Potter’s House Church of Uvalde—a modest structure where Pentecostal worshippers congregated on folding red chairs—Pastor Doug Swimmer welcomed me into his book-cluttered office as he prepared to lead the Sunday evening service moved to Uvalde from New Mexico fifteen years ago and considers it home He had watched in awe as border counties near Uvalde flipped red “I’d never seen anything like it,” he said But he wasn’t surprised by Uvalde’s vote as someone who had a pastor’s-eye view of what mattered to his flock An influx of migrants from across the border had put the community on edge as Trump-Vance signs took over the city’s lawns.  The electorate was sending a clear message “It’s almost like they want someone outside of all of that to be able to govern the people with no partiality,” Swimmer said when the families’ advocacy for raise-the-age legislation was rebuffed by the Legislature but nothing’s changed about that law.” I asked Swimmer why he thought voters had moved past gun control as a central issue he asked if I’d noticed “the kids on all the buildings.” I had—I was struck by their omnipresence “That’s a constant reminder,” he said “To be inundated all the time with it and it’s hard.” Nobody would ever forget the children he said—their names will be on the new school being built to replace Robb Elementary But when would life be permitted to resume When would the crosses in the town square come down I stayed for the Sunday evening service at Potter’s House “God bless you.” One man with tattooed hands sat across the aisle from me with a handgun on his hip I was reminded of something McLaughlin had said to me—that Uvalde was at a “crossroads” two years after the shooting but we don’t have to let that define Uvalde.” both won in the Republican primary and ran unopposed in the general Zamora was one of several local candidates who switched their party affiliation from Democrat to Republican ahead of the primaries less than an hour’s drive from Uvalde to seek the endorsement of the county’s farm bureau an older man posed a question: “I’m reading through your website here It says you’re going to do everything you can to protect children’s safety Does that mean you want to take my gun away from me?” Much of the national media described Oasis Outback where the Robb Elementary shooter bought his AR-15 as a “gun store.” That does not convey an accurate sense of the place which contains racks upon racks of hunting clothes that flow seamlessly into a restaurant with a full salad bar If you wade through the sea of camo to the far back left corner—opposite the eatery—there is a gun store tucked away in a small rectangular room through a courtyard area with rocking chairs and grills I struck up a conversation with local youth minister Diego Ruiz as he waited for his wife who was participating in a nearby bake sale Ruiz looked younger than his 29 years as he corralled his small daughter He spoke passionately about the need to live out Christian virtues—“protect the poor the mom who needs help”—and told me that he’d voted for Trump because the Republican Party professed to share his biblical values and tracked closer to his socially conservative views on issues such as abortion.  a little more than two miles away from Robb Elementary The kids stopped playing kickball to go back inside for what he and other teachers assumed was another routine lockdown because of a high-speed chase he started keeping a bat in his classroom; he became open to the idea of teachers wielding guns Ruiz watched as the city became the focal point of political campaigns and gun control activism nationwide He surmised that this had an impact on the way some voted “Uvalde kept being used as a weapon,” said Ruiz “I think that riled people up in a way to show up told me he supported enhanced background checks as a requirement for firearm ownership but was not surprised gun control had failed to animate voters for the Democratic Party “It’s Texas,” he said matter-of-factly “Especially with all the ranches we have in the surrounding counties people weren’t just going to give up their rights to purchase a firearm.” He told me that when he voted faith and the economy stood as the most important issues texts and emails released Saturday by Uvalde city officials offer new details about the Robb Elementary school shooting while also largely reaffirming reporting about law enforcement’s failure to engage a gunman who killed 19 children and two teachers a Uvalde municipal police officer said that law enforcement had to rely on a parent to use bolt cutters to break the locks to the gated fence the shooter had scaled to enter the school That same officer also indicated in his report that he overheard a female relative of the shooter discuss how he’d expressed suicidal thoughts the night before the May 24 the shooter’s uncle pleaded with police to speak to the teenager came six minutes after law enforcement killed the gunman Text exchanges between Uvalde officers also provide insight into their frustrations after Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw blamed local police in the days following the shooting A Texas House of Representatives report released two months later state and federal law enforcement officers — including McCraw’s at least 91 DPS troopers — who also responded to the scene and failed to take charge who was shot within the first few minutes of the response Martinez said the senator told him McCraw “should NOT have done that.” Martinez said he told Cornyn that McCraw had “screwed us all” and that the local officers were all receiving death threats An attorney for Martinez and the Uvalde police officers said that he was not aware of the text exchange Martinez did not respond to a message inquiring about it such as body camera footage and audio of 911 calls from children inside the classrooms were detailed in previous reporting from The Texas Tribune ProPublica and FRONTLINE after the news organizations independently obtained hundreds of hours of investigative material through a confidential source The Saturday release is the first major disclosure of documents by a government agency involved in the flawed response to the deadliest school shooting in Texas history It was part of a settlement agreement in a lawsuit between the city and the news organizations Three other government agencies — the Texas Department of Public Safety the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office — continue fighting not to release any records who is now a Republican candidate for the Texas House said in a phone interview Saturday that the other government entities in the lawsuit should follow the city’s example “The only way we’re going to know what truly happened is for everybody to release their records law enforcement’s failures during the response to the Uvalde shooting are well documented including the fact that officers wrongly treated the shooter as a barricaded subject which prevented coordination and communication between agencies a DPS aircraft official struggled to coordinate logistics for two helicopters SWAT team members and the San Antonio Police Department because they couldn’t reach an incident commander many of the officers who responded were not The U.S. Justice Department later published a report that heavily criticized the delayed response and said that some victims would have survived had officers followed their training According to the records released Saturday Uvalde municipal police officer Bobby Ruiz Sr said in an incident report after the shooting that law enforcement had to rely on a parent to cut a lock on the gates of a fence around the school students and teachers began running toward the opening “I ran up along with two other male individuals in which we hurried the students and school staff behind cover,” the officer said Ruiz was then sent to the nearby house where the gunman lived with his grandparents The teenager had shot his grandmother in the face and taken his grandfather’s truck to the school he overheard a relative say they’d stayed up with the gunman the night before after he expressed a desire to die by suicide urged police to let him speak with the shooter he does listen to me,” a distraught Ramos said “Maybe he could stand down … or turn himself in.” killed minutes earlier by police after he emerged from a classroom closet and fired at them An attorney for the news agencies as well as the uncle of one of the children killed at Robb Elementary said information about the shooting — and law enforcement’s response — helps grieving relatives get closure and will better prepare authorities for future massacres They pushed other agencies to follow the city’s move and release records Jesse Rizo’s 9-year-old niece Jackie Cazares was one of the fourth graders killed He was elected to the Uvalde school board in May and has pushed the district to release information the news organizations have requested He said the piecemeal nature the public releases is spurring residents to suspect government officials are involved in a cover-up “And then we begin to lose faith and trust,” he said “And the longer that things get delayed getting made public then the more of a lack of trust we have.” said that he is infuriated that the city released information to media organizations through the settlement without first notifying families “This isn’t something that we can just turn off The world gets to turn off the TV and walk away Two state district judges in Texas have ordered the county DPS and the school district to release records related to the shooting Only the city has settled with the news organizations saying in a statement Saturday that it wished to comply with the court order and end a legal battle DPS representatives and a school district spokesperson did not immediately return calls or emails Saturday Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco said in a statement that the potential release of records was “under the purview” of the office’s attorney Only a handful of responding officers have been publicly disciplined and no trial date has been set for the two who were indicted by a grand jury in June. Those two men — Pete Arredondo and Adrian Gonzales — pleaded not guilty An attorney for Gonzales called the charges “unprecedented.” Uvalde city officials chose to release records against the longstanding wishes of District Attorney Christina Mitchell who is preparing to prosecute those two school district officers Mitchell has argued that releasing records will interfere with those cases Attorneys representing the news organizations have said there is no proof to support her claims and that agencies cannot withhold the records under state laws a media law chair for Haynes Boone who represented the news agencies in the legal fight for the records called the city’s release a “step toward transparency,” though she noted the legal battle continues “Transparency is necessary to help Uvalde heal and allow us all to understand what happened and learn how to prevent future tragedies,” Prather said The full program is now LIVE for the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Explore the program featuring more than 100 unforgettable conversations on topics covering education, the economy, Texas and national politics, criminal justice, the border, the 2024 elections and so much more. See the full program. WASHINGTON – The Trump administration abruptly cancelled roughly $1 billion in federal grants aimed at helping schools hire and train therapists Hundreds of funding recipients across the country received letters April 29 from the U.S Department of Education informing them that their mental health programs violated civil rights laws Some constituted an "inappropriate use of federal funds," according to the letter the best interest of the Federal Government and will not be continued," says the letter a senior advisor at the Education Department The Trump administration confirmed April 30 that it discontinued $1 billion in grants that supported school-based mental health programs The grants ran afoul of their intended purpose a spokesperson for the Education Department and were part of the "deeply flawed priorities of the Biden administration." the Trump administration took issue with programs for educating mental health professionals about systemic racism and training therapists to focus on race-related stress and trauma "We owe it to American families to ensure that taxpayer dollars are supporting evidence-based practices that are truly focused on improving students' mental health," Biedermann said in a statement Read more: Are school nurse jobs in jeopardy? As pandemic relief expires, some are worried An April 29 notice from the Education Department's office of legislative affairs says the agency "plans to re-envision and re-compete its mental health program funds to more effectively support students' behavioral health needs." The grants were funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a landmark gun safety law passed in the wake of a massacre three years ago in Uvalde, Texas, that left 19 elementary school students and two teachers dead Read more: The U.S. passed a landmark gun control deal. Is it working? Mental health advocates denounced the cuts called the cancellations "irresponsible and cruel." the president of the American Federation of Teachers one of the nation’s largest teachers unions warned that “school shootings will only multiply” if student mental health programs are wiped away Does this administration have to impose its ideological whims on everything?” she said in a statement on bipartisan grants passed after the murder of students and educators in a school shooting.” Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY You can reach him by email at zschermele@usatoday.com Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social school shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers begged police to let him try to talk his nephew down according to a 911 call included in a massive trove of recordings and transcripts released by city officials Saturday “Maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me everything I tell him he does listen to me,” said the man “Maybe he could stand down or do something to turn himself in,” Ramos said READ MORE: Families of Uvalde school shooting victims are suing Texas state police over botched response Ramos told the dispatcher that the shooter was with him at his house the night before He said his nephew stayed with him in his bedroom all night and told him that was upset because his grandmother was “bugging” him please don’t do nothing stupid,” the man says on the call about 10 minutes after the shooting had stopped Salvador Ramos was fatally shot by officials at 12:50 p.m The 911 call was among numerous records released by officials in Uvalde after a prolonged legal fight The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after Uvalde officials refused to publicly release documents related to the shooting at Robb Elementary School The delayed law enforcement response — nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before confronting the gunman in a classroom filled with dead and wounded children and teachers — has been widely condemned as a massive failure The gunman killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24 Multiple federal and state investigations into the slow response laid bare cascading problems in training and questioned whether officers prioritized their own lives over those of children and teachers in the South Texas city of about 15,000 people 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio Families of the victims have long sought accountability for the slow police response WATCH: DOJ issues scathing review of failed police response to Uvalde school shooting Two of the responding officers now face criminal charges: Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school officer Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of child abandonment and endangerment A Texas state trooper in Uvalde who had been suspended was reinstated to his job earlier this month Some of the families have called for more officers to be charged and filed federal and state lawsuits against law enforcement and the gun manufacturer that made the rifle the gunman used The police response included nearly 150 U.S Border Patrol agents and 91 state police officials While dozens of officers stood in the hallway trying to figure out what to do students inside the classroom called 911 on cellphones 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 Previously released video from school cameras showed police officers some armed with rifles and bulletproof shields saying officers showed “immeasurable strength” and “level-headed thinking” as they faced fire from the shooter and refrained from firing into a darkened classroom Interment will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery Texas to San Ysidra (Valdez) Lopez and Primitivo Lopez Matthew San Miguel of San Antonio and Christie Horton and significant other Stephen Howard and Michael Martinez and significant other Corina Camacho all of Uvalde; three sisters Lupe Gutierrez of Uvalde and Jessica Lopez of Junction; grandchildren Show Breaking News BarCloseKSAT InvestigatesDaniela Ibarra SAN ANTONIO – A group of news organizations, including KSAT 12, asked a Texas appeals court on Thursday to release school and county records from law enforcement’s response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde. Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office went before four judges to make their cases You can watch Thursday afternoon’s oral arguments in the video below This is the latest dispute in a yearslong battle over what should be made public from one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S More Stories Like This In Our Email Newsletter In July 2024, a district court judge ordered Uvalde CISD and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office to release their records Those records include police body camera footage emails and text messages related to the shooting and subsequent investigation In August 2024, the agencies filed an intent to appeal the decision Last month “We are waiting to get the entire investigative file,” Prather said “We’re waiting to get the full body camera footage We’re waiting to get all of that in the context of the investigative report that was done.” A Uvalde police sergeant retired after the agency placed him on leave for failing to hand over the footage The Texas Department of Public Safety is continuing to fight the release of its records Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page school police officer who was part of the slow law enforcement response to the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School pleaded not guilty during a court appearance Thursday READ MORE: Former Uvalde schools police chief accused of delays while shooter was ‘hunting’ children, indictment says Adrian Gonzales was one of the nearly 400 law enforcement personnel who responded to the scene but then waited more than 70 minutes to confront the shooter inside the school Teary-eyed family members were in the courtroom in the small Texas town to watch as Gonzales was arraigned on charges of abandoning and failing to protect children who were killed and wounded Some of the victims’ families have spent more than two years pressing for officers to face charges after 19 children and two teachers were killed inside the fourth grade classroom Some have called for more officers to be charged there should have been more because there was a lot of ranking officers during that day that knew what to do but decided not to whose 10-year-old daughter Tess was killed “We’ll take what we get and we’re just gonna continue fighting for the kids and the two teachers and see it all the way through,” Mata said Gonzales and former Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo were indicted by a grand jury in June Arredondo waived his arraignment and entered a not guilty plea on July 10 Both were released on bond following their indictments Gonzales’ attorney had called the charges “unprecedented in the state of Texas.” Gonzales’ position is he did not violate school district policy or state law,” said Nico LaHood the former district attorney for Bexar County READ MORE: Uvalde parents lash out after new report clears city police of wrongdoing during 2022 mass shooting who is listed by the Uvalde District Clerk as Arredondo’s attorney did not reply to Wednesday phone messages seeking comment attack was one of the worst school shootings in U.S The police response has been heavily criticized in state and federal investigations that described “cascading failures” in training communication and leadership among officers who waited outside the building while some victims lay dying or begging for help He was indicted on 29 charges that accuse him of abandoning his training and not confronting the shooter He is charged with 10 state jail felony counts of abandoning or endangering a child Arredondo failed to identify an active shooting did not follow his training and made decisions that slowed the police response to stop a gunman who was “hunting” victims Terrified students inside the classroom called 911 as parents begged officers to go in A tactical team of officers eventually went into the classroom and killed the shooter Each charge against Gonzales and Arredondo carries up to two years in jail if convicted law enforcement officer being charged for allegedly failing to act during an on-campus shooting The first such case to go to trial was a sheriff’s deputy in Florida who did not confront the perpetrator of the 2018 Parkland massacre The deputy was acquitted of felony neglect last year A lawsuit by the victims’ families and survivors is pending Several families of victims have filed federal and state lawsuits against law enforcement social media and online gaming companies and the gun manufacturer that made the rifle the gunman used is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative Former Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo asked a state district court on Friday to quash ten felony charges of child endangerment for his response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting In their motion to toss out the indictment Arredondo’s lawyers say school districts and their employees don’t have a duty to protect students from third-party threats The lawyers also point out that the children were already in danger when Arredondo responded Arredondo engaged in any conduct that placed a child in imminent danger of death or physical or mental impairment,” the filing states the language in the indictment itself makes clear that when Mr Arredondo responded as part of his official duties an active shooter incident was already in progress.” Arredondo said soon after the shooting that he did not think he was the incident commander and that he did not give any orders state and federal law enforcement officers descended upon the school but failed to act decisively instead waiting for more than an hour to confront the gunman Border Patrol agents ultimately decided to breach the classroom and killed the shooter families of Uvalde victims have called on local and state elected officials to hold officers accountable for their failures in leadership Many said they were disappointed that the grand jury indicted only two officers In addition to Arredondo, former district officer Adrian Gonzales was indicted on 29 counts of child endangerment. Gonzales has also denied violating school district policy or state law Both officers were released from Uvalde County Jail on bond Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell did not immediately respond to a request for comment As The Texas Tribune's signature event of the year, The Texas Tribune Festival brings Texans closer to politics, policy and the day’s news from Texas and beyond. Browse on-demand recordings and catch up on the biggest headlines from Festival events at the Tribune’s Festival news page Border Patrol has released its internal report on the agency's response to the 2022 Uvalde school shooting recommending that Customs and Border Protection develop protocols for how its agents respond to such incidents on nonfederal property The 203-page report released Thursday includes a recommendation that the Border Patrol change its policies to make sure they are consistent with the most up-to-date law enforcement standards in responding to active shooters and that officers are trained in those standards It said the internal review determined that "existing CBP training on active shooter response procedures did not adequately prepare responding personnel to deal with this situation." The report added that "protocols did not prepare them for a number of factors including the need to address an active shooter behind a locked door." Nineteen children and two teachers died in the May 24 which became one of the most bungled police responses to a mass casualty event in history Hundreds of officers from multiple federal state and local law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting but they waited more than an hour before a Border Patrol SWAT team entered the classroom where the gunman was hiding and killed him It found that the failure of the on-scene respondents "to establish identifiable incident management or command and control protocols led to a disorganized response" and likely led "to delays and potentially further loss of life." The result of that lack of coordination meant that law enforcement officers were "taking on tasks on an ad-hoc .. More: Pete Arredondo seen assuming command in aftermath of Uvalde shooting Chaos during the triage process was exacerbated by the disjointed response and "led to some victims with gunshot wounds being inadvertently placed on a school bus without receiving immediate medical treatment." The report recommends that if Border Patrol officers are expected to assist in future mass shootings that take place in locations that are not under direct federal control its officers and leaders must "understand and properly work within the confines of their authority." The Border Patrol should also ensure that it follows the most up-to-date protocols for active shooter response and that its "training and doctrine should be revised to align with continuously emerging best practices including lessons learned from this incident." The agency should also establish procedures "for following medical best practices during critical events," and all agents must be properly trained so that they can make the assessments needed to identify the medical care any victims might need adding that this is especially critical in events in which paramedics and other professionals are delayed or unable to get directly to the scene of an emergency More: 'He's inside the school!' Devastating 911 calls, video from Uvalde school shooting released all first responders within CBP should receive comprehensive training and thetools necessary to deal with the management of and response to active shooter events," the report said assembled a team of 62 investigators and technical and legal experts to examine the deadly attack by a lone gunman and the response by heavily armed officers Texas - School officials are working alongside police to keep students safe after violent threats were made against a local high school Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (Uvalde CISD) announced their investigation on their social media channels after threats of potential violence at Uvalde High School on Wednesday were posted "The Uvalde CISD Administration is aware of a concerning social media post this morning that references potential violence at Uvalde High School on Wednesday," Uvalde CISD Superintendent Ashley Chohlis said in a statement to parents in collaboration with the Texas Department of Public Safety Investigators were quick to determine that the photos included the threat came from Google as far back as 2019 "Law enforcement does not believe the person making the threat is the individual in the image," Uvalde CISD said and we hope to have a resolution by this evening." An increased number of law enforcement personnel will be present at the high school campus on Wednesday to ensure student safety law enforcement personnel will maintain a vigilant presence around our school campuses on Wednesday," Uvalde CISD said "You may notice an increased presence of law enforcement." The district will continue updating parents and students via social media Customs and Border Protection agency on Thursday released its internal review of Border Patrol agents’ response to the May 2022 Uvalde school shooting in which an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers In the 203-page report the federal agency recommends that it change its policies to allow agents to respond to mass shootings in non-federal cases and to make sure that Customs and Border Protection agents are up to date with the most recent training and best practices to respond to these types of incidents Hundreds of law enforcement officers waited 77 minutes before U.S rushed to the room where the shooter was located and fatally shot the gunman — a Uvalde resident and former Robb Elementary School student the agency said that current Customs and Border Protection “training on active shooter response procedures was insufficient for the active shooter incident at Robb Elementary School.” The federal agency also said that its agents acted within policy and didn’t find any misconduct In June, former Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo and former district officer Adrian Gonzales were indicted on felony charges of child endangerment A grand jury returned the indictments six months after being convened and more than two years after the massacre reviews by the state and federal government identified an assortment of failures in leadership communication and training that resulted in children becoming trapped with the gunman for more than an hour Editor's note: This story contains explicit language The Texas Department of Public Safety has reinstated a Texas Ranger who the agency previously attempted to fire for failing to respond appropriately to the deadly Robb Elementary School shooting DPS Director Steve McCraw said in a Friday letter to Christopher Ryan Kindell that Kindell could return to his former position now that the Texas Rangers had completed their criminal investigation of the shooting No criminal charges were filed against any DPS officers McCraw said that Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell who convened a grand jury in January to investigate law enforcement’s delayed response to the May 2022 shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers Mitchell confirmed that she made that request Val Verde County and Maverick County had been covering Kindell’s territory while he was suspended “Ranger Kindell has worked diligently to serve the citizens of Uvalde County for approximately seven years and has been the lead investigator on several complicated cases from child sexual abuse to murder cases,” Mitchell said in an email “It was time that Ranger Kindell got back to work serving Uvalde County.” Mitchell did not share what evidence about Kindell the grand jury considered, stating it is illegal to disclose any information about grand jury proceedings. The Austin American-Statesman first reported Kindell’s reinstatement. The massacre was the deadliest school shooting in Texas history Law enforcement officers waited 77 minutes to confront the lone gunman even though 376 law enforcement officers responded to the scene The shooter was ultimately killed by a Border Patrol tactical unit Kindell was notified in January 2023 that he would be fired McCraw said Kindell’s actions “did not conform to department standards” and that he should have recognized the incident as an active shooter situation Kindell was given five days to appeal the decision Since January, Kindell has received his annual salary of close to $100,000 McCraw wrote that he decided to change his initial decision “based upon a review of the completed Texas Ranger criminal investigation” of the shooting “an internal investigation on DPS officers who responded to the attack and subsequent to the review of the Uvalde Grand Jury.” The grand jury in June indicted two former Uvalde school police officers on charges of child endangerment against former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school police officer Adrian Gonzales represent the only criminal charges filed after the school shooting Because grand jury investigations in Texas are secret it is not entirely clear what evidence the jury considered though The Texas Tribune confirmed that McCraw was among those who appeared as witnesses McCraw has previously blamed local officers for law enforcement’s botched response, which was the subject of a January U.S. Department of Justice report that documented numerous failures in leadership and coordination. A Texas House special committee report also criticized state and federal law enforcement officers’ inaction A total of 91 DPS officers responded to the incident Border Patrol members and Uvalde school police 14 minutes before the Border Patrol team entered the classroom and killed the gunman Kindell joined DPS in 2006 and worked in the criminal division before becoming a ranger in 2016 He had been assigned several high-profile investigations He could not be reached for comment on Monday Families of the victims of the shooting have expressed outrage over what they say is a lack of accountability and transparency following the shooting Friday’s letter was met with a similar sense of frustration “Not only is it sick and disgusting that he is reinstated…..Our fucking D.A. REQUESTED IT! How much lower will any of these people go to spit on our faces!?!?” Brett Cross, whose son was among those killed, said on social media Kindell was one of two DPS officers who were notified they’d be fired following the school shooting. The other, Sgt. Juan Maldonado, decided to retire. A third trooper who was under investigation retired before the investigation was complete. Four remaining troopers who were internally investigated were eventually cleared FILE - Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo stands during a news conference outside of the Robb Elementary school on May 26 “I’ve been scapegoated from the very beginning,” Arredondo told CNN during an interview that aired Wednesday The sit-down marked his first public statements in two years about the May 24 attack that killed 19 students and two teachers making it one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety identified Arredondo as the “incident commander” of a law enforcement response that included nearly 100 state troopers and officers from the Border Patrol Even with the massive law enforcement presence officers waited more than 70 minutes to breach the classroom door and kill the shooter The indictment against Arredondo contends that he didn’t follow his active shooter training and made critical decisions that slowed the police response while the gunman was “hunting” victims Arredondo told CNN that the narrative that he is responsible for the police response that day and ignored his training is based on “lies and deception.” there was no hesitation — there was no hesitation in myself and the first handful of officers that went in there and went straight into the hot zone noting that footage also shows he wasn’t wearing a protective vest as officers inside the school pondered what to do Despite being cast as the incident commander Arredondo said state police should have set up a command post outside and taken control “The guidebook tells you the incident commander does not stand in the hallway and get shot at,” Arredondo “The incident commander is someone who is not in the hot zone.” which oversees the state police and other statewide law enforcement agencies did not immediately respond to requests for comment Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell declined to discuss Arredondo’s interview whose daughter Jacklyn Cazares was one of the students killed “I don’t understand his feeling that there was no wrongdoing There’s no excuse for not going in,” Cazares told The Associated Press on Thursday Arredondo refused to watch video clips of the police response He also said it wasn’t until several days after the attack that he heard there were children who were still alive in the classroom and calling 911 for help while officers waited outside When asked if he thought he made mistakes that day You can think all day and second guess yourself I know we did the best we could with what he had.” After refusing to talk to the media for two years Pete Arredondo finally spoke to CNN but didn't answer key questions Pete Arredondo finally spoke to CNN but didn't answer key questions '+n.escapeExpression("function"==typeof(o=null!=(o=r(e,"eyebrowText")||(null!=l?r(l,"eyebrowText"):l))?o:n.hooks.helperMissing)?o.call(null!=l?l:n.nullContext||{},{name:"eyebrowText",hash:{},data:t,loc:{start:{line:28,column:63},end:{line:28,column:78}}}):o)+" \n '+(null!=(o=c(e,"if").call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2PreText"):l,{name:"if",hash:{},fn:n.program(32,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:63,column:20},end:{line:63,column:61}}}))?o:"")+"\n"+(null!=(o=(c(e,"ifAll")||l&&c(l,"ifAll")||n.hooks.helperMissing).call(r,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Text"):l,null!=l?c(l,"cta2Link"):l,{name:"ifAll",hash:{},fn:n.program(34,t,0),inverse:n.noop,data:t,loc:{start:{line:64,column:20},end:{line:70,column:30}}}))?o:"")+" The school district and sheriff’s office in Uvalde must release their records and documents related to the Robb Elementary School shooting — including police body camera footage a Texas district court judge ruled last week touting it as a “victory for government transparency.” Nineteen children and two adults were killed by a teenage gunman in the shooting. The response to the shooting has been defined by a series of police failures of leadership and communication that resulted in surviving children being trapped with the gunman in two classrooms for more than an hour before law enforcement confronted him and killed him "This ruling is a pivotal step towards ensuring transparency and accountability,” said Laura Prather a media law attorney with Haynes Boone who represents the news organizations “The public deserves to know the full details of the response to this tragic event and the information could be critical in preventing future tragedies.” The ruling by Judge Sid Harle was dated July 8 and it gives the sheriff’s office and the school district 20 days A similar ruling from a Travis County state district judge last year ordered the Department of Public Safety to release law enforcement records, however DPS has appealed that order and has not yet released the data related to its investigation. Ninety-one of the agency’s troopers responded to the shooting which drew a response from nearly 400 law enforcement officials Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell had opposed the release of records to the news organizations saying their release could harm her criminal investigation into the shooting response. Two weeks ago, Mitchell announced a grand jury had indicted the former school police chief and an officer on felony charges of child endangerment Mitchell and a spokesperson for Uvalde schools did not respond Monday afternoon to requests for comment on the ruling Big news: director and screenwriter Richard Linklater; NPR President and CEO Katherine Maher; U.S. Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-California; and Luci Baines Johnson will take the stage at The Texas Tribune Festival, Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Buy tickets today! Editor’s note: This story contains explicit language released another trove of videos on Tuesday from officers responding to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting footage that they had previously failed to divulge as part of a legal settlement with news organizations suing for access officers lined up in the school hallway as they prepared to breach a classroom door about an hour after the shooter first entered the building showed a slightly different angle from what had previously been released but their cries and screams can be heard and blood is visible in the hallway The video also shows officers performing chest compressions on a victim on the sidewalk an officer wearing a body camera is crying at points telling someone on the phone: “They’re just kids “I just never thought shit like that would happen here.” Another officer asks if he should take his weapon from him and tells him to sit down and “relax.” That seven-minute video after the breach shows medics working on someone in an ambulance The news organizations previously reported in an investigation with The Washington Post that officers initially treated teacher Eva Mireles on a sidewalk because they did not see any ambulances although two were parked just past the corner of the building one of three victims who still had a pulse when she was rescued died in an ambulance that never left the school Much of the other body camera footage shows officers waiting around after the breach or clearing classrooms that are empty Officers are also seen outside the school responding to questions from bystanders Dashboard videos also offered few new details showing police officers idling in patrol cars outside of Robb Elementary Some officers paced the parking lot and communicated inaudibly through radios and cellphones One video shows a television crew arriving at the scene and others show ambulances and parents waiting as helicopters circle overhead Police Chief Homer Delgado ordered an audit of the department’s servers which revealed even more videos had not been turned over He shared those with District Attorney Christina Mitchell who is overseeing a criminal investigation into the botched response and ordered his own internal probe into how the lapse occurred city officials said that the internal investigation uncovered not only “technological issues,” but an “unintentional lack of proper due diligence by the officer who served as custodian” of the police department’s records faced disciplinary action and retired from the department They said the investigation found “no evidence of any intentional effort to withhold information.” They added that the department is working to improve its internal record keeping procedures and technological hurdles so that “such an oversight does not occur again.” It is unclear whether he was wearing his own body camera It does not seem to be part of any released footage Former Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin on Tuesday praised the city police for releasing the material He called on other law enforcement agencies to follow suit “It should have been done from day one,” said McLaughlin who is currently running for the Texas House “I was frustrated when I found out we had something we had overlooked but everybody needs to release their stuff … It’s the only way these families are going to get some closure.” It is unclear whether the new footage would alter Mitchell’s investigation She did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday A grand jury in June indicted former Uvalde school district police Chief Pete Arredondo and school resource officer Adrian Gonzales on felony child endangerment charges Footage released in August and on Tuesday comes from city police officers so it does not include any video from Arredondo or Gonzales None of the school district officers were wearing body cameras that day because the department did not own any He also dropped his school-issued radio as he rushed into the school According to the school district’s active shooter plan His indictment alleges in part that he failed to follow his training and gave directions that impeded the response who along with Arredondo was among the first officers on scene “failed to otherwise act in a way to impede the shooter until after the shooter entered rooms 111 and 112,” according to his indictment Experts have said their cases face an uphill battle as no officers in recent history have been found guilty of inaction in mass shootings. Both men pleaded not guilty, and the next hearing is set for December No Uvalde Police Department officers have been charged sued several local and state agencies more than two years ago for records related to the shooting The city settled with the news organizations agreeing to provide records requested under the state’s Public Information Act But three other government agencies — the Texas Department of Public Safety the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office — continue fighting against any release of their records More than two years after the shooting, victims’ relatives have said that they still feel like there has been little accountability or transparency They said that they feel betrayed and as if government agencies attempted a “cover-up.” in a mandate that only came about after the Uvalde massacre Experts said repeated training was necessary for these high-pressure responses, and a Justice Department review into the Uvalde response this year recommended at least eight hours of annual active shooter training for every officer in the country In all, nearly 400 officers from about two dozen agencies responded to the shooting. Yet despite at least seven investigations launched after the massacre, only about a dozen officers have been fired One of those, Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, was reinstated in August after fighting his termination the new school that replaces Robb received a name: Legacy Elementary School UCISD trustees approved the name after 11 months of consideration by a committee "Legacy Elementary is more than just a name; it is a symbol of our shared vision for a brighter more inclusive future for all students," Superintendent Ashley Chohlis said in the release Show Breaking News BarCloseLocal NewsKSAT DIGITAL TEAM UVALDE COUNTY Texas – The Zavala County Sheriff’s Office took a man into custody who they allege is connected to the discovery of a body Uvalde County sheriff’s deputies found under the Frio Bridge in Knippa The Zavala Sheriff’s Office said they assisted in the arrest of Luis Ortiz Jr The Texas Rangers were also working with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office in the joint investigation The details surrounding the arrest have not been released but Zavala deputies said they recovered a firearm and ammunition While officials have not disclosed any charge Ortiz could face authorities confirmed his arrest is tied to the murder case Investigators are still working to identify the body found under the Frio Bridge KSAT will update this story as more information becomes available Dillon Collier Rebecca Salinas Landon Lowe Sean Talbot UVALDE, Texas – Months after failing to turn over all of the records tied to the response to the 2022 Robb Elementary massacre, the City of Uvalde has released additional videos Forty-eight videos were included in Tuesday’s release Eleven are body-camera videos from the May 24 Some body-worn cam videos reviewed by KSAT showed officers inside the hallways as officers breached the classrooms where the teenage gunman holed himself in Other videos showed officers sweeping hallways and questioning the delay in breaching the rooms You can watch the videos below. WARNING: The videos contain content that may be disturbing to some viewers. KSAT has decided to publish most of the videos we received to allow the public the opportunity to see what happened that day Shortly after the release of the original records Uvalde police said an officer informed the department that some of his body camera footage from the shooting was missing Chief Homer Delgado said he ordered an audit of the department’s servers which turned up “several additional videos” that should have been released In September, the department placed Uvalde Police Sgt. Donald Page on leave for the failure One day later, Page turned in a letter announcing his retirement from the department. Records from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement show that Page had been with UPD since 2006 Page is among the hundreds of law enforcement officers who responded to the shooting UPD is the first agency to release records after media outlets sued the city and the Department of Public Safety in 2022 Uvalde officers in Robb Elementary School hallways City of Uvalde police officer outside Robb Elementary School Uvalde officers wait outside Robb Elementary School Uvalde police officers clear classrooms at Robb Elementary School Uvalde officer responds outside Robb Elementary School Uvalde officer outside Robb Elementary School Uvalde officer answers questions outside Robb Elementary School Copyright 2024 by KSAT - All rights reserved Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016 Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year