UVALDE, Texas – The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District on Monday released thousands of public records related to the Robb Elementary massacre.
The records include emails, Texas Public Information Act requests from reporters and student records about the 18-year-old gunman. Former UCISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo’s personnel records and text messages were also included in the records.
He has been described as the on-scene commander of the law enforcement response.
Haynes Boone Media Law Chair Laura Prather, the law firm representing KSAT 12 News and other media outlets, sent KSAT the following statement on Monday evening.
“More than three years after the Robb Elementary School shooting, the release of long-withheld public records by the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District is an important step toward giving the community the answers they deserve,” Prather said in a statement, in part.
Prather also said the law firm is continuing to fight for the release of more records related to the shooting from other responding agencies.
“Representing a coalition of local and national media organizations, Haynes Boone continues to fight for records from the Texas Department of Public Safety, which is appealing a judge’s order to release hundreds of videos and investigative files,” Prather’s statement continued, in part. “Three years is already too long to wait for truth and transparency that could prevent future tragedies.”
Last month, a state appeals court judge sided with KSAT and other media organizations in a 2022 lawsuit against the district and county seeking the release of their records related to the mass shooting.
Below are some of the records released by the school district on Monday evening.
The first set of records is emails from the UCISD’s executive director of communications and marketing, Anne Marie Espinoza.
The next batch of records are emails from ex-UCISD Superintendent Hal Harrell, who retired from the position five months after the Robb Elementary shooting.
The district also released correspondence from Mandy Gutierrez, the principal at Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting.
The district also released emails from Miguel Hernandez, a lieutenant with the district’s police department who later served as interim police chief.
Among its release of records on Monday, the district published various forms of communications regarding former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
Below are text messages Arredondo had with other people.
Uvalde CISD also shared more than 200 pages worth of Arredondo’s emails from his district-issued email address.
Below are Arredondo’s personnel records, which include his contract with the district and his salary.
The school district also released correspondence between district employees and UCISD Deputy Superintendent Michael Rodriguez.
The district released the discipline records for Salvador Ramos, the Robb Elementary shooter who withdrew from Uvalde High School in 2021 due to low grades.
KSAT does not typically name suspects in mass shootings, but is doing so in this story since his disciplinary records were released for the first time.
Below is a group text district officials released between four people, which include Arredondo and Hernandez, that dates back to May 27, 2022.
Due to the sheer size of the files, KSAT has only uploaded a portion of the records that were released on Monday.
Uvalde CISD notified families of the victims about the impending release on Friday afternoon, according to a letter reviewed by KSAT Investigates.
“This step is taken with the utmost respect and commitment to building trust and transparency within our school community,” according to the district’s letter.
Uvalde County released records, including 911 calls, videos, ballistic reports and communication between district and county employees, on Tuesday.
In separate meetings last month, UCISD and Uvalde County voted to stop fighting the appeal and release the records.
The district released the following letter to the community on Friday, Aug. 8:
Dear Uvalde CISD School Community, We wish to inform you about important developments concerning the records of the tragic events that unfolded on May 24, 2022, at Robb Elementary School. Our district’s law firm, Walsh Gallegos, is releasing these records to the media outlets that initiated the lawsuit, with the release scheduled for the week of August 11, 2025.
Information has been communicated to our district’s law firm, indicating that the County is set to release records pertaining to the events of May 24, 2022, to media outlets next week. These records may include video footage. This decision to release the records is made with the most profound respect for our school community and is part of our ongoing commitment to building trust and ensuring transparency. We have pledged to inform our families and the greater Uvalde school community about the release of these documents before they are made available to the media, and this notice serves to uphold that promise.
We recognize the profound impact this tragedy continues to have on everyone involved—our students, families, staff, and the entire Uvalde school community. As we journey through the process of healing and rebuilding, the district remains dedicated to offering support and maintaining transparency.
Please know that we stand by each school community member, ready to support, heal, and rebuild together.
Respectfully, The Uvalde CISD Board of Trustees and Ashley Chohlis
Background
On May 24, 2022, a gunman walked into Robb Elementary in Uvalde and opened fire, killing 19 children and two teachers in two adjoining classrooms. Officers did not breach the door and kill the 18-year-old gunman until about 77 minutes after the first officers arrived at the school, even as students inside the classrooms called 911.
The response to the shooting and the handling of the investigation have been heavily scrutinized, with the Department of Justice finding “cascading failures” in law enforcement’s handling of the massacre.
Gloria Cazares, whose daughter Jackie was killed in the shooting, explained why she wanted the records to be released during a school board meeting last month.
“It’s about making sure what happens to my daughter never happens to another child,” Cazares said at the meeting. “I’m here today to demand the truth. You all owe it to Jackie, to her classmates, to her teachers.”
The City of Uvalde became the first agency to release its records from the shooting in 2024 after being sued by media outlets. A Uvalde police sergeant retired after he was placed on leave for failing to include additional videos in the initial release.
Texas’ Department of Public Safety has yet to release its records from the shooting. KSAT 12 and other news organizations have asked a state appeals court to order the agency to make the records public.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.