Video Released From Uvalde Shooting Further Shows Lack of Police Response

Security footage of law enforcement’s response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, in May, has been released.

The Austin American-Statesman obtained the video of inside the elementary school when the shooter burst into the building and fired into a classroom, officers responding to the scene, and footage showing how authorities responded to the situation.

SURVEILLANCE FOOTAGE OF UVALDE SCHOOL SHOOTING COULD COME AS EARLY AS SUNDAY

The outlet published a roughly four-minute-long edited version of the footage. Nineteen schoolchildren and two adults were killed during the shooting. The gunman was also killed by authorities.

The publication of the footage by the Austin American-Statesman could increase pressure on officials to release the entire footage to the public, something that has been subject to political debate. The published footage shows a compilation of different camera angles of the shooting. It shows the gunman entering the school and responding officers arriving on the scene accompanied by time stamps showing when those events took place.

Warning: This video may be disturbing to some viewers:

In the published footage, adults caan be heard frantically yelling at students to “get in your rooms” as gunfire is heard in the background. The gunman then enters the school wielding an AR-style rifle, as seen in both exterior and interior footage of the building.

Shortly after the gunman turns a corner inside the school, a student who has been blurred out comes down the hall and watches the gunman march down the hallway at about 11:33 a.m., which is shown at the 1:10 mark in the published footage. Suddenly, gunfire is heard and the student runs away.

The gunman then heads toward adjoining classrooms 111 and 112, where he would fire off nearly 100 rounds of ammunition for about two minutes, according to police. Around 11:36 a.m., responding officers are seen running into the school. They slow down as they near the adjoining classrooms, where some are seen crouching down outside. Others stand further back down the hallway as the gunman continues to unleash fire.

At 11:37 a.m., loud shots are heard, and the officers crouched near the classroom are seen retreating back down the hallway. About 20 minutes later, more armored officers arrive with ballistic shields and other heavy gear. Officers are shown waiting there until 12:21 p.m. when they move down toward the classroom again. An officer can be seen squirting hand sanitizer from a dispenser mounted to the wall and rubbing his hands together at around 12:30 p.m. There was also a fist bump between two camouflage-wearing officers.

At 12:50 p.m., a very loud exchange of gunfire is heard — this is around the time authorities say law enforcement killed the gunman. This takes place around the 3:30 mark in the footage.

Local law enforcement has faced a firestorm for the response to the tragic shooting spree. As detailed by officials and now shown in the surveillance footage, officers waited nearly an hour before breaching the classroom. At the center of the controversy is Uvalde’s school district police chief, Pete Arredondo, who has faced the brunt of the criticism for the delayed police response. He was later sworn into the City Council before resigning in early July amid controversy over his oversight of the shooting response.

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A bevy of politicians including Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin have advocated the release of the security footage showing what transpired between the nearly 77 minutes that passed between when the gunman entered the school and when law enforcement killed him.

State Rep. Dustin Burrows (R), the chairman of a special Texas House committee investigating the shooting, has also advocated its release. Initially, he indicated on Monday that the Texas Department of Public Safety reached an agreement with the Uvalde mayor’s office to disclose the footage, but the department later disputed that to ABC News. Still, he said he intends to release the footage, “regardless of any agreement.”

On Tuesday, Burrows tweeted that his panel plans to hold a meeting Sunday and provide members of the community a chance to see security footage of the hallway and discuss the committee’s preliminary report. He said both would be released to the public “very soon thereafter.” He also stressed that members of the community should see the footage before it is released to the general public.

“We feel strongly that members of the Uvalde community should have the opportunity to see the video and hear from us before they are made public,” he added in a tweet.

DPS Director Steven McCraw commented on the video released on Tuesday.

“I am deeply disappointed this video was released before all of the families who were impacted that day and the community of Uvalde had the opportunity to view it as part of Chairman Dustin Burrows’ plan,” he said in a statement. “Those most affected should have been among the first to see it. As I stated during my testimony before the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans, this video provides horrifying evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary on May 24 was an abject failure. In law enforcement, when one officer fails, we all fail.”