Surveillance video from Uvalde shooting published

By Elise Hammond, Amir Vera, Maureen Chowdhury and Meg Wagner, CNN

Updated 7:13 a.m. ET, July 13, 2022
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3:52 a.m. ET, July 13, 2022

Our live coverage of the surveillance video publishing has ended. Read more of our coverage here.

11:49 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Uvalde mayor says he's angry surveillance video was leaked before families could see it themselves

From CNN's Andy Rose

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin speaks to the media following a city council meeting in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, July 12.
Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin speaks to the media following a city council meeting in Uvalde, Texas on Tuesday, July 12. (Eric Gay/AP)

Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said Tuesday night he was angered over the leaking of surveillance footage inside Robb Elementary and how the wishes of the community were not taken into consideration.

"I am angry that the victim’s families and the Uvalde community’s request to watch the video first before it was made public did not happen," he said in a written statement.

McLaughlin nodded to earlier comments from Texas state Rep. Dustin Burrows, the chair of the House committee investigating the shooting who said he was disappointed the families did not view the footage first.

"I share Representative Burrows’ disappointment, and believe that watching the entire video of law enforcement’s response or lack of response is also very important to understanding what happened on May 24," McLaughlin said.
"Regardless, it is unbelievable that this video was posted as part of a news story with images and audio of the violence of this incident without consideration for the families involved. I continue to stand behind my statements that full transparency and consideration for the families remains the priority as it relates to this incident."
8:48 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Uvalde City Council accepts Arredondo's resignation

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph, Shimon Prokupecz, Rosa Flores and Eric Levenson

The Uvalde City Council accepted the resignation of Councilman Pedro "Pete" Arredondo Tuesday. 

In video of the meeting, applause from the off-camera audience was heard after the motion to accept Arredondo's resignation passed. 

Earlier this month, Arredondo offered his resignation from the city council in the wake of the massacre at Robb Elementary School in May. 

"After much consideration, it is in the best interest of the community to step down as a member of the City Council for District 3 to minimize further distractions," he said in a resignation letter sent to the city. "The Mayor, the City Council, and the City Staff must continue to move forward to unite our community, once again."

Some context: Arredondo’s role in the police response to the May 24 shooting has been under intense public scrutiny and criticism from the Texas Department of Public Safety. That’s, in part, because more than an hour elapsed before officers entered the classrooms and killed the gunman.

Arredondo, who has worked in law enforcement for nearly 30 years, has not spoken substantively to the public about his decision-making that day, but he told the Texas Tribune in an interview that he did not consider himself the on-scene commander.

Arredondo was placed on leave from his job as school district police chief by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District in June.

Arredondo had been elected to the Uvalde City Council on May 7, just weeks before the massacre. He was sworn in to the council position a week after the shooting.

8:37 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Uvalde mayor calls out media for releasing video inside Robb Elementary

From CNN's Elizabeth Joseph

(City of Uvalde)
(City of Uvalde)

The leaked footage that shows portions of surveillance video from inside the Robb Elementary School "is one of the most chicken things I've ever seen," Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said in an ongoing city council meeting.

There's no reason for the families to see that. I mean, they were going to see the video, but they didn't need to see the gunman coming in and hear the gunshots. They don't need to re-live that, they've been through enough," he said.

As CNN previously reported, the Texas House committee investigating the Uvalde school shooting is planning to release hallway surveillance video of what police were doing, along with a fact-focused report to the families of those who were massacred.

According to McLaughlin, "all news agencies knew" the city was working with the Texas House committee to release the video to families impacted by the school shooting on Sunday.

7:50 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Uvalde families urge others not to share leaked surveillance video on social media

From CNN's Cheri Mossburg

Some parents and other family members of children killed in the Uvalde school massacre are taking to social media to express their outrage over the leaked surveillance video.

Anger is aimed at both the law enforcement response depicted in the surveillance footage and at the Austin-American Statesman for publishing the video.

“PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT SHARE THE VIDEO!!’We need time to process this!!,” posted Berlinda Arreola, grandmother of Amerie Jo Garza, emphasizing her post with numerous angry and sad emojis.

Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was killed, also implored her Facebook family and friends not to share the video.

“This is the opposite of what the families wanted!!!!! If you are a true friend please do not share it, I don’t want to see it in my feed nor do I want to be tagged on any of the news stations that are sharing it," the post said.

Her anger palpable, Cazares also posted a photo of the Austin American-Statesman reporter who obtained the video, and punctuated her comments with one directed at him – “F**k Y**U.”

“Please DON’T TAG me or my family! This is so f**kinh hard for us!!," pleaded Barbara Rodriguez, the aunt of Maite Yuleana Rodriguez. 

“Our hearts are shattered all over again!!!!!!!!!‼️‼️‼️‼️,” emphasized Cazares.

7:48 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Father of 10-year-old victim on leaked footage: "That is unacceptable"

From CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee

Angel Garza, father of 10-year-old victim Amerie Jo Garza, chastised the leaked footage showing the shooting at Robb Elementary and officers retreating from a classroom after hearing gunfire.

“We get blind-sided by a leak. Who in the hell do these people think they are? I don’t’ care if you’re a DA, you’re a spokesperson, you’re a councilman, you’re a senator – who do you think you are to release footage like that of our children who can’t even speak for themselves – but you want to go ahead and air their final moments to the entire world. What makes you think that’s OK? The least you can do is have some freaking decency for us. That is unacceptable," Garza said.

The Austin American-Statesman released two edited videos — one under five minutes and nearly an hour-and-a-half long — of the deadly May shooting today.

The Texas House committee investigating the shooting had already announced it would publicly release the full video on Sunday after showing it to victims’ family members. A source close to the committee tells CNN that plan has not changed.

7:31 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Texas newspaper explains decision to publish Uvalde surveillance footage

From CNN's Amir Vera

The Austin American-Statesman, the Texas newspaper who published the leaked surveillance footage inside Robb Elementary, explained to readers why they, alongside their news partner KVUE-TV, decided to publish said video.

Our goal is to continue to bring to light what happened at Robb Elementary, which the families and friends of the Uvalde victims have long been asking for," wrote Manny Garcia, the newspaper's top editor.

Garcia is also listed as the ethics and standards editor for USA Today Network, which is part of the American-Statesman’s parent company, Gannett.

The release of the leaked footage comes more than month after 21 people — 19 children and two adults — were gunned down on May 24 in Uvalde, Texas.

Since then, frustration and outrage has boiled over as parents along with local, state and federal politicians have called out the lack of transparency in the investigation into the bungled law enforcement response to the shooting.

Garcia wrote the decision to publish the video — which parents were supposed to view first on Sunday — came after "long and thoughtful discussions" between the leadership at the paper.

"We have to bear witness to history, and transparency and unrelenting reporting is a way to bring change," Garcia wrote.

The paper published two videos Tuesday. The first is the initial four-minute video that shows the gunman entering the school, shooting into the classroom and police waiting outside the classroom and retreating as they hear gunfire.

The second video, posted to the paper's YouTube channel, is an hour and 22 minutes of footage.

The paper edited out the screams of children as the gunman enters the classroom and blurred out a child's face who first saw the gunman and ran away once the shooting began. The paper chose to show the gunman's face, Garcia wrote.

"We chose, in this instance, to show his face to chisel away at any conspiracy that we are hiding something. This last point included much discussion among our senior leaders, our Managing Editor for Standards Michael McCarter, our lead reporter, Tony Plohetski, and his editor, Bob Gee," Garcia wrote.

The Texas House committee investigating the shooting announced it would publicly release the full video on Sunday after showing it to victims’ family members. A source close to the committee tells CNN that plan has not changed.

6:48 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Uvalde families express outrage at leak of school shooting video

From CNN's Mary Kay Mallonee

Javier Cazares, father of Uvalde victim
Javier Cazares, father of Uvalde victim (CNN)

Javier Cazares, whose daughter was killed at the mass shooting inside Robb Elementary School, was outraged over the leaked surveillance video footage inside the school during the May 24 attack.

“We were supposed to get some footage shown to us on Sunday of the filming inside the hallway and then we got a call, another parent got a call saying that someone got a hold of it. It got released and got leaked. They didn’t have our permission from us to do so," Cazares told reporters in Washington, DC, shortly after the video was published.

“We didn’t want any audio and these SOBs did it. It got leaked. It got shown all over the world and we are pissed. These families didn’t deserve it. I don’t deserve it. That’s a slap to our babies’ faces and we’re tired of this. We can’t trust anybody no more. It’s aggravating."

Cazares spoke along with other Uvalde families who were in Washington, DC, along with other Uvalde victim relatives for several events including the White House event celebrating the passage of a bi-partisan bill aimed at reducing gun violence.

Rep. Joe Moody, the Speaker Pro Tempore of the Texas House, called the newly published video of the Uvalde school shooting “a piecemeal release of information.”

The Austin American-Statesman released two edited videos — one under five minutes and nearly an hour-and-a-half long — today.

The Texas House committee investigating the shooting had already announced it would publicly release the full video on Sunday after showing it to victims’ family members. A source close to the committee tells CNN that plan has not changed.

6:37 p.m. ET, July 12, 2022

Texas DPS leader says he's "deeply disappointed" video of shooting leaked before planned release

From CNN’s Rosa Flores

The head of the Texas Department of Public Safety said he was “deeply disappointed” that surveillance video showing parts of the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting were published by an Austin newspaper Tuesday, ahead of the planned public release this weekend.

“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,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said in a written 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,” McCraw said. “In law enforcement, when one officer fails, we all fail.”