On Saturday, Uvalde city officials released a large amount of documents and hours of video and audio recordings, including a frantic 911 call from the uncle of the Robb Elementary School gunman who tragically took the lives of 19 students and two teachers.
The collection of material, which includes text messages, emails, bodycam and dashcam videos, was made public following a lawsuit filed by Scripps News and several news organizations.
On May 24, 2022, the day of the devastating mass shooting, a man identified as Armando Ramos, the gunman’s uncle, called 911 in a concerned and nervous state. He pleaded to speak to his nephew and offered to assist the police in calming him down.
“Everything I tell him, he listens to me,” Ramos stated. “Maybe he can surrender or do something to end this peacefully.”
During the call, Ramos mentioned that his nephew had been with him the night before the shooting and had been upset with his grandmother for bothering him.
The call from Ramos came after authorities had already confronted and neutralized the gunman, as the detailed information provided revealed.
Prior to the tragic events at Robb Elementary School, the shooter had harmed his grandmother that morning before heading to the school, according to reports. A neighbor mentioned to Scripps News that the grandmother was seen covered in blood on the day of the shooting.
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Redacted audio recordings were released
Among the released materials were redacted 911 calls from students in classrooms 111 and 112. A student on the call informed the operator about the deceased teacher and numerous casualties, before expressing fear of their own safety.
Police body camera footage was also released
In the body cam video, an officer in the school can be heard instructing another to grab shields, while another officer mentioned attempting to communicate with someone. Shortly after, another officer expressed the urgency of entering the building.
It was revealed that nearly 400 law enforcement officers waited for over 70 minutes outside the classroom before engaging with the assailant, per the investigation findings.
DOJ report
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Justice published a comprehensive nearly 600-page report on its Critical Incident Review. The report highlighted what officials described as “cascading failures” and concluded that the officers lacked urgency in their response.
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In June, former Uvalde Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted, facing allegations of delaying the response to the mass shooting. Former school officer Adrian Gonzales also faces legal consequences for his actions. Both Arredondo and Gonzales have pleaded not guilty to multiple charges concerning child abandonment.
Arredondo’s legal representatives asserted that he acted to the best of his knowledge at that time.
Scripps News continues to analyze the substantial amount of material that has been made public.
