<mediadc-video-embed data-state="{"cms.site.owner":{"_ref":"00000161-3486-d333-a9e9-76c6fbf30000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b93390000"},"cms.content.publishDate":1655923812153,"cms.content.publishUser":{"_ref":"00000179-379a-dbb2-a7fd-bfda8bfc0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"cms.content.updateDate":1655923812153,"cms.content.updateUser":{"_ref":"00000179-379a-dbb2-a7fd-bfda8bfc0000","_type":"00000161-3461-dd66-ab67-fd6b933a0007"},"rawHtml":"
var _bp = _bp||[]; _bp.push({ "div": "Brid_55913843", "obj": {"id":"27789","width":"16","height":"9","video":"1036702"} }); ","_id":"00000181-8cc0-d66a-a7c3-cfed20e80000","_type":"2f5a8339-a89a-3738-9cd2-3ddf0c8da574"}”>Video EmbedA Texas state senator filed a lawsuit against the state’s Department of Public Safety, accusing officials of denying an open records request regarding the Uvalde school shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead last month.
State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents the district that includes Uvalde, filed the lawsuit on Wednesday, claiming the Texas Department of Public Safety ignored his previous request for information regarding its investigation into law enforcement’s response to the shooting. Gutierrez said he initially submitted a records inquiry on May 31 requesting “several categories of information” but was met with no response.
UVALDE MAYOR ACCUSES STATE OFFICIALS OF WITHHOLDING DETAILS TO SCAPEGOAT POLICE
“In the wake of this massacre, the State of Texas has completely failed to provide the community of Uvalde with truthful answers. Weeks have come and gone, and yet families who lost their children have not been told by their government the basic information about who was on site as their children bled, what tools were at their disposal to stop the gunman, and exactly why they decided to wait instead of act,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “The community of Uvalde deserves answers now, so that we can begin to heal and make sure a massacre like this never happens again.”
Under state law, the department is granted 10 business days to either respond to records requests or ask for an exemption from the state attorney general. The department did neither, Gutierrez said.
However, if the department fails to respond or request an exception, the law determines that requested documents are “presumed to be subject to required public disclosure and must be released unless there is a compelling reason to withhold the information.”
Records can be withheld from the public in certain circumstances if they contain confidential information or would interfere with “the detection, investigation, or prosecution of a crime,” according to the law. DPS officials have cited its investigation as a reason not to release some of its findings to the public, prompting criticism from Gutierrez.
The Uvalde mayor has also accused Texas state authorities of selectively releasing information from its investigation into the Robb Elementary School shooting and the subsequent police response, alleging officials only leak certain details that make local law enforcement look bad.
State officials have sought to absolve themselves from blame by scapegoating city police with selective disclosure, Mayor Don McLaughlin said, accusing authorities of leaking information to the press before briefing Uvalde officials. As a result, McLaughlin announced on Tuesday that his staff would begin releasing information as it becomes available to his office, reversing course from earlier protocol to refrain from disclosing details until the investigation is complete.
His comments come as new details were released this week regarding the timeline of the police response, showing officers waited more than an hour before breaching the classroom where the gunman had barricaded himself.
Eleven officers had initially entered the building within three minutes of the gunman breaching the school, according to the report. However, the chief of the school district police, Pete Arredondo, called for backup at 11:40 a.m. with a landline, instructing law enforcement to wait for more weapons, more officers, and keys to the classroom door before acting.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
But the investigation uncovered that the door was unlocked and no officers even attempted to open it before the breach, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said. The head of the Texas DPS denounced the slow response, arguing it reveals an “abject failure” of law enforcement to step in.
The timeline of events has been the subject of scrutiny for multiple investigations headed by state and federal agencies that have questioned what happened in the over 70 minutes that elapsed between when the gunman entered the classroom on May 24 and when he was killed by law enforcement, even as trapped fourth graders called for help. The shooting left 19 students and two teachers dead, with several more being injured.
