UVALDE, Texas – The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District released thousands of pages worth of emails related to the Robb Elementary tragedy on Tuesday, more than two weeks after it was supposed to turn over all records from the shooting.
The UCISD board unanimously voted to release all records during a meeting on Monday.
Robb Decker, the attorney representing UCISD, on Monday said the firm “made an error” when it was supposed to release the records earlier this month.
The records released Tuesday include 3,457 pages of emails sent to and from Superintendent Hal Harrell regarding the May 24, 2022 shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.
The district said there is no video to release.
On Monday night, Decker said UCISD police officers did not have body cameras, and hallway video was previously handed over to the Texas Department of Public Safety. UCISD has requested that the hallway video be returned, or a copy be provided.
Here are the takeaways from Tuesday’s release:
Draft press release called then-district Police Chief Pete Arredondo ‘heartbroken’
In the aftermath of the shooting, a draft press release was circulated among district officials on May 27, 2022.
It started with, “The Uvalde CISD Police Department is in mourning with our Uvalde family. Uvalde CISD Chief of Police Pete Arredondo is heartbroken over the loss of our students and staff members. He expresses his deepest condolences to all families.”
The draft stated that the shooting is an ongoing investigation led by Texas Rangers, and that Arredondo and UCISD police are cooperating.
It went on to say Arredondo, a UCISD police officer and City of Uvalde police, “responded within minutes.”
“Upon arriving at the campus the search began for the armed suspect, that process included rapidly clearing numerous buildings until information was received of the possible direction of the suspect to direct our efforts. As entry was made simultaneously into the active area, gun fire was taken on by UCISD Police Officers, including Uvalde CISD Chief of Police Pete Arredondo, and City Police. The assailant was contained by these agencies allowing the evacuation of all our precious students, more than 600 students and staff members,” the draft stated.
In the draft, the district states that due to the active investigation, the details it could release were limited.
“This is a difficult time for everyone in the hometown of Uvalde CISD Chief of Police Pete Arredondo, however the loving support shown to and by all students and community members at this time is the first step in healing and how our loved ones should be remembered and honored,” the draft stated.
DPS and CBP asked for records, blueprints for investigation
Four days after the massacre, Texas Rangers asked the school district to provide door maintenance records and requests for doors at Robb, specifically requesting records for the classrooms where the shooting happened.
An investigator with Customs and Border Protection, who said he was helping the Texas Rangers and the FBI, asked the district for copies of blueprints or construction plans for Robb.
Amy Marin, a former Robb employee, requested to meet with Harrell after being interviewed by Texas Rangers, according to an email from Griselda Aguirre-Garcia, an ACE program director with Uvalde CISD.
Marin was wrongfully accused by DPS of leaving the door open for the shooter during a news conference.
“She says that that is not what she told them and that is not what happened,” Aguirre-Garcia wrote.
DPS, the agency handling the investigation of the shooting, has refused to release its records. KSAT and several other news organizations have sued to gain access, but the case is tied up in the appeals process.
How attorneys helped UCISD after the shooting
Records revealed how attorneys with Walsh Gallegos worked with district leaders in the weeks after the shooting.
Emails from Decker show how he helped the district craft statements on behalf of Harrell and Arredondo, as well as language for the school board’s first meeting after the shooting.
During Monday’s UCISD board meeting, Decker admitted that the law firm failed to release all the district’s records related to the shooting earlier this month.
Email from high school’s vice principal explains financial hardships of families
Then-Uvalde High School Assistant Principal Joel Barbosa emailed Harrell and other district officials on May 29, 2022, and explained how families of victims experienced financial stress.
He said the family of an unnamed student was facing financial difficulties, losing $450 a week as they took a month off in the wake of the tragedy.
Barbosa wrote that the family was given clothing to attend their son’s funeral, which the shooter’s family attended.
“He asked that we please keep that in mind if we ever plan to bring them together. They are a young couple and have a lot of resentment towards the law enforcement response,” the email read.
He also expressed concern about Ruben Ruiz, the husband of Eva Mireles. Mireles was one of the two teachers killed in the shooting.
“We are keeping a constant eye on him because he feels that he didn’t do enough to save his wife and he is constantly hearing about the concerns of the law enforcement response. This along with the immediate financial needs are preventing him from mourning and moving towards the healing process,” the email read.
Barbosa asked Harrell and district staff to “give us an opportunity to build a relationship” with the families.
Emails provide timeline of active shooter situation
Records released on Tuesday show the communication that Harrell received when school officials realized they had an active shooter situation at Robb Elementary.
At 11:41 a.m., an email that stated “Robb Elementary is under a Lockdown Status” went out to the district and parents.
“Robb Elementary Parents: Please know at this time Robb Elementary is under a Lockdown Status due to gun shots in the area. The students and staff are safe in the building. The building is secure in a Lockdown Status. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus. As soon as the Lockdown Status is lifted you will be notified,” the notification read.
Within 30 minutes, another alert was issued, which stated: “There is an active shooter at Robb Elementary. Law enforcement is on site. Your cooperation is needed at this time by not visiting the campus. As soon as more information is gathered it will be shared.”
An email received by Harrell showed Raptor Technologies also alerted him about lockdown statuses across different campuses.
Additional emails to parents informed them that students had been transported to the Civic Center and must “be accounted for before being released to your care.”
Background
The final batch of documents, which local authorities withheld during a years-long legal battle over public access, was supposed to be released on Aug. 11.
UCISD did release emails, Texas Public Information Act requests from reporters and student records about the 18-year-old gunman at that time — but not all their records.
>> Uvalde County records, bodycam videos show chaos, missteps and frustrations in Robb shooting
On Monday, the board met in closed session for more than two hours to consult with attorneys about “legal issues related to the potential release of information related to the Robb Elementary tragedy.”
“We were not aware these records were not being released. We voted unanimously for these records to be released,” Uvalde CISD Vice President JJ Suarez said Monday.
The district’s attorney said it was the law firm’s fault for not providing all the records, not the board’s or the superintendent’s.
“There’s no excuse for that, sir. You can call it a mistake, an error — it’s a costly error," Trustee Jesse Rizo said.
Among those missing records are emails about classroom safety and a payout to the district’s police chief, according to documents viewed by CNN.
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.
Family members of the victims were among those pushing for the records to be released.
On Aug. 12, Uvalde County released a trove of records, including video that showed the chaotic moment officers breached the door and killed the gunman. The City of Uvalde released body camera footage and recordings of 911 calls in August 2024.
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