UVALDE, Texas – A district court judge has ruled that the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office must release documents and records related to the Robb Elementary School shooting in 2022.
The ruling issued on July 8 by Judge Sid Harle of the 38th Judicial District Court in Uvalde County, gives the school district and the sheriff’s office until July 28 to release the records, which include police body camera footage, 911 calls, emails, text messages related to the shooting and subsequent investigation.
KSAT asked Reid Pillifant, an attorney with Haynes Boone if there’s anything that could delay the release of the records.
“You never know,” Pillifant said. “It’s possible that they could ask for more time. It’s also possible that they could eventually try to appeal this decision.”
According to a lawsuit filed by a coalition of media organizations, which includes KSAT 12 News, the documents could provide crucial insights into the timeline of events and decision-making processes during the massacre that claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
“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.”
This is the second major win for the coalition. In June 2023, a similar victory in Austin state court required the Texas Department of Public Safety to release pertinent records. DPS is currently appealing the ruling and delaying the release of more than two terabytes of data related to the investigation.
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 Pete Arredondo and Officer Adrian Gonzales on felony charges of child endangerment.
“Do you think by releasing these records there might be more indictments coming?” asked KSAT reporter Daniela Ibarra.
“We don’t think the release of these records will have a direct effect on the, on the district attorney’s decision,” said Pillifant, who added that Mitchell and a grand jury have had the opportunity to review the records.
You can read Harle’s ruling below: