‘I have nothing to hide’: Uvalde County sheriff will testify in school shooting investigation after receiving notice of deposition

The hearing is scheduled for Monday, July 11

(On right) Pictured is Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco. (KSAT/(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The Uvalde County sheriff has agreed to testify in front of a Texas House committee in the Robb Elementary School shooting investigation after officials filed a notice of deposition Wednesday.

This comes after State Rep. Dustin Borrows, chairman of the committee, filed the notice and said Sheriff Ruben Nolasco has refused to testify so far in the investigation. On Thursday, Nolasco contradicted Borrows and said he has been cooperative with the Texas Rangers.

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“I’ve cooperated with the people I believed I needed to cooperate [with] and that was the Texas Rangers,” Nolasco said in a statement to the Uvalde Leader-News Thursday. “I have nothing to hide. I’m not scared. A criminal investigation takes precedence.”

On Thursday, Borrows confirmed on Twitter that Nolasco has agreed to appear at the committee hearing, set for Monday, July 11.

“I appreciate him coming voluntarily,” Burrows said on Twitter.

So far, 17 civilians and 19 other law enforcement members have given testimony on what unfolded during the elementary school shooting that claimed the lives of 21 people.

Despite House officials claiming that Nolasco has refused to speak in the investigation, he said he and members of his office “have cooperated to the fullest extent,” according to his statement in the Uvalde-Leader News. You can read his full statement below:

“On June 2, 2022 at approximately 4:45 P.M., I, Sheriff Ruben Nolasco, was interviewed by Company D, Texas Ranger Chris Ecker at the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office. I, Sheriff Nolasco, provided Ranger Ecker with a statement on the events of my actions on May 24, 2022.

“I, Sheriff Nolasco, and members of my office have cooperated to the fullest extent with the ongoing criminal investigation being conducted by the Texas Rangers and the F.B.I. I, Sheriff Nolasco, will cooperate with all Legislative committees to the extent they do not jeopardize the criminal investigation.

“I, Sheriff Nolasco, understand there is a criminal investigation being conducted by the Texas Rangers and the F.B.I., furthermore to avoid damaging the integrity of the case, I believed it was untimely to participate in the Texas House investigative Committee’s critical incident review,” Nolasco said.

On Wednesday, a report was released by the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center that shared new details about the May 24 shooting that left 21 dead, including several missed opportunities for law enforcement to “engage or stop the gunman” before he went into the school.

You can read the written orders from the Texas House Committee below:

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About the Author:

Cody King is a digital journalist for KSAT 12. She previously worked for WICS/WRSP 20 in Springfield, Illinois.