UVALDE, Texas – The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and Uvalde County have released thousands of records related to the Robb Elementary shooting.
Two teachers and 19 students died in the shooting on May 24, 2022.
The records were released over the past month after a state appeals court judge sided with KSAT and other media organizations in a 2022 lawsuit against Uvalde CISD and the county.
Family members of the victims were among those who pushed for the records to be released.
In separate meetings in July, Uvalde CISD and the county had voted to stop fighting the appeal and release the records.
Below is what we know about the records.
Shooter’s UCISD records released
The shooter, Salvador Ramos, had at least 22 discipline incidents in middle school and high school, records show.
Discipline issues ended around his sophomore year because he stopped attending school regularly. He was withdrawn from the high school in October 2021 for poor academic performance and lack of attendance, records show.
At the time of his withdrawal, he had all failing grades, except for one A.
Incidents involved threatening a teacher to multiple fights, throwing a student’s backpack in a trash can, and repeated instances of using homophobic language and curse words in the classroom.
Ramos had good attendance in kindergarten, and his preschool screening was normal, records show.
He was first identified as an at-risk student in third grade (2012-2013 school year), and was again labeled at risk in October 2018, while a freshman.
Ramos’ health history was heavily redacted.
Uvalde County releases records and nearly 7 hours of footage
Uvalde County released thousands of public records on Aug. 12 related to the massacre.
The records include 1,576 pages of emails, text messages and other documents, and nearly seven hours worth of footage from May 24, 2022.
The footage provided another view of the chaotic and delayed response to the tragedy. Officers did not breach the door and kill the gunman until approximately 77 minutes after the first officers arrived at the school, even as students inside the classrooms called 911.
“You ready to catch somebody?” a law enforcement officer in the video asked minutes before a small group of border patrol agents moved toward the classroom door.
Body-worn camera footage showed that officers finally rushed the door at 12:50 p.m. Three shots then rang out.
In the videos, officers are seen carrying the shooter and the victims from the classroom. Some of them were screaming for help as paramedics with gurneys moved in.
KSAT chose to publish the videos due to transparency and because KSAT believes the audience has a right to know what happened that day.
You can watch some of the bodycam videos below. WARNING: The videos contain graphic footage.
Emails provide timeline of active shooter situation
Records show the communication that then-UCISD Superintendent Hal 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 taken to the Civic Center and must “be accounted for before being released to your care.”
Actions of former Uvalde CISD police chief who faces criminal charges
Records detail the actions of the former Uvalde CISD police chief, who faces charges in connection with the mass shooting.
Former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo faces charges of child endangerment.
In released body camera footage, Arredondo is among the dozens of law enforcement officials standing in the hallways and outside Robb Elementary during the shooting.
Arredondo, who the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said was in charge on that day, is heard attempting to negotiate with the shooter.
“Sir, this is Arredondo with the (Uvalde CISD) Police Department. Can you please put your firearm down?” Arredondo said, according to body camera video.
A specialized border patrol tactical team entered the classroom and killed the gunman over an hour after the shooting began.
Lockdown procedures, other security plans unknown
Security plans for fires, building evacuations and lockdown procedures were nearly completely redacted in a presentation that was sent to Arredondo in August 2021.
Records show Uvalde CISD police hosted active shooting training for school-based law enforcement on March 21, 2022, which KSAT previously reported.
The course took place at Uvalde High School, with former Uvalde CISD officer Adrian Gonzales and Mike Hernandez as the instructors.
Gonzales was later indicted on 29 counts of abandoning/endangering a child after authorities said he failed to protect children during the shooting.
Instruction included lectures, role-play, practical applications and force-on-force scenarios, according to records with the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.
One of the courses was titled, “Stop the Killing - Solo Response to Active Shooter Events.” Another course focused on the priorities of action for school-based law enforcement.
One of the scenarios was about someone walking into a school with a high-powered rifle.
Text messages between Arredondo and Gonzales
The release included a handful of text exchanges between Arredondo and others at the district sent before the shooting.
At 9:04 a.m., the chief told Gonzales to “go hang out at the park with the seniors until 11:30.”
At 11:40 a.m., a text to Arredondo from a district secretary noted someone reported hearing shots outside Robb Elementary School.
“They went ahead and locked themselves down,” the text to Arredondo read.
At 1:07 p.m., a text to Arredondo asked if any students were injured or taken to the hospital and if the district could lift the “secure status” on the school.
The shooter had been killed by law enforcement about 15 minutes earlier.
Arredondo’s letter of administrative leave released
Arredondo was placed on administrative leave with pay on June 22, 2022, according to a letter from Harrell.
Arredondo’s salary and benefits were not affected.
Harrell directed Arredondo to fully cooperate with the investigations as directed by district personnel and federal and state authorities.
According to the letter, Arredondo could not make any statements on behalf of the district, enter any district property or attend school events without Harrell’s permission.
Arredondo was ordered to turn over district property to Harrell by June 22, 2022. Arredondo had a Glock 22.40 caliber, per a Sabinal Police Department record of firearms proficiency.
Arredondo was the District 3 city councilman at the time of the shooting but resigned in July 2022. He was fired from UCISD in August 2022.
Uvalde CISD schools received 13 terroristic threats in 2021-2022 academic year
Records released by Uvalde CISD reveal 13 terrorist threats were reported during the 2021-2022 school year. One of those threats was reported at Robb Elementary School.
The records did not include specific details of the terroristic threats.
Six of the 13 threats were reported at Morales Junior High, records show. That’s the most of any Uvalde CISD school during the 2021-2022 school year.
A Uvalde High School receptionist said she received threats over the phone the day before the shooting, according to an email.
The receptionist notified Arredondo of the threats hours after the shooting via email, documents show.
Additional records released by the district show two Uvalde students had plotted in 2018 to shoot up an unnamed school during their senior year, which would have been in 2022.
According to a signed affidavit, one of the students said they became “obsessed” with the Columbine shooters and started making plans to secure weapons and make bombs.
The same student had drawings of swastikas and weapons, documents show.
Security firm recommended locks weeks before shooting
Days after the shooting, Christopher Davila, a regional sales manager of Alarm Lock, a security company specializing in locks, emailed Harrell.
The sales manager said he had visited the district to talk about options to secure exterior entrances and planned to talk about solutions during a May 2022 board meeting.
“I have been calling on your district for years and still want to assist with securing the district, if you need anything please reach out,” Davila wrote.
Employee compiled ‘a list of false claims’ about the shooting
On June 2, 2022, an employee sent an email to Michael Rodriguez, assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction, that listed “false claims that are being made about the Uvalde shooting.”
Below is a portion of the email, in part:
“CLAIM Police were too scared to enter the school until Border Patrol got there.
“FALSE Police entered the school 4 minutes after the initial 911 call. As they approached the classroom where the shooter was, he shot through the wall injuring 2 officers. Police could not return fire for risk of injuring kids inside, and they were only equipped with handguns.
“CLAIM A border Patrol agent retrieved a shotgun from his barber, and entered the school to take out the shooter because the police wouldn’t.
“FALSE An agent did retrieve a shotgun from his barber and entered the school, but he stacked up in the hallway with police.
“CLAIM Police sat in the hallway for 40 minutes while the shooter killed 19 kids.
“FALSE The shooter shot 18 kids in the 4 minutes before the police entered the building. He then shot 2 of those officers, but there wasn’t a single shot fired from the time they dragged both officers out until BORTAC arrived on scene. During that time, police kept the gunman pinned in one location, evacuated the rest of the school, and eventually found the Principal who was hiding with the master key.
“EDIT 6/2/22 @ 1pm It was initially understood that BORTAC called out to the students inside the classroom, and the gunman shot the girl who did; however, we’ve just received a message from a Uvalde family stating that a boy inside the classroom said “to fool everyone in the room the gunman yelled out “if anyone needs help. Yell Help”. A girl in the classroom yelled and the gunman shot her. This is what prompted BORTAC to breach the door.
“CLAIM Police should’ve found a way to breach the door earlier.
“MOSTLY-FALSE There is no one right answer in these situations as there are too many variables; however, the police were shot through a concrete wall. The classroom door was an outward opening steel door set into a concrete wall with a steel door frame. This type of door is incredibly difficult to breach without special tools, and they are designed to keep active shooters out.”
In reference to placing blame on officers, especially those who had kids inside the school, a district employee says in the fact-checking document, “This is similar to Vietnam Veterans returning home from the war to be met with protests of people calling them Baby Killers and spitting on them.”
Teacher knew she didn’t leave door propped open
In a letter to Harrell on May 28, 2022, an employee said she met with a teacher in the hospital.
The teacher told her that she did not leave an exit door propped open, despite claims from then-Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw.
McCraw initially said the shooter gained access to the school by entering a door that was propped open.
The email to Harrell stated, in part:
“The Texas Ranger and FBI agent came to say that after reviewing the surveillance cameras in the school that her statement was accurate and they can clearly see that she did not leave that door propped open. She in fact kicked the rock out of the doorway and used her hands to pull shut the door from the bar. They said now they will have to investigate if the door was faulty or if perhaps it had not been locked from the outside to begin with. They said they had not spoken to Director McCraw from DPS when he made the claim at the press conference on Friday, May 27 that the door had been left propped open by a teacher, a door the intruder used to enter the Robb Elementary School, and they apologized for the misinformation.”
McCraw also made additional claims that were later proven inaccurate during the investigation, such as stating that his troopers had confronted the shooter immediately.
Bodycam footage captures aftermath of shooter’s attack on grandmother
Before the shooting at the elementary school, authorities said the gunman shot his grandmother, identified as Celia “Sally” Gonzales, at a home.
When deputies arrived on the scene, a portion of Gonzales’ face was covered in blood, as well as other areas of her body.
In the footage, a deputy is heard asking Gonzales, “Who did this to you?” and “Who’s your grandson?”
Deputies can be heard requesting EMS units as Gonzales exited the home while holding a towel to her face to treat the injury.
One of the deputies grabbed Gonzales’ arm and guided her to the front of the home while urging her to keep pressure on the wound. As she was assisted, Gonzales said, “I don’t know where he’s at.”
There were at least four units with the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office on scene when Gonzales was guided to the front of the home.
The deputy wearing the bodycam asked, “What do you want us to do?” and another deputy replied, “I think we got an officer down as well now.”
The deputy wearing the bodycam immediately left and drove to Robb.
Uvalde CISD releases text messages from aftermath of Robb Elementary shooting
Fifty text messages released by Uvalde CISD showed the conversations from the aftermath of the shooting.
In one text message sent to Arredondo, someone said they are “eternally grateful for him and all the people that got my babies out safe.”
Multiple other messages appear to have been sent from Robb Elementary staff members asking for support and when they could collect their belongings from the campus.
“I feel like we as Robb have been slapped in the face,” one message read. “My world was destroyed that day, and I knew that was the day I would die. I gave my entire self to this district and some of us literally gave our lives. I’m so tired of being strong.”
“I’m sorry this is a lot, but I feel like we don’t matter at all to this district,” the message continued. “I’m ready for some sunshine because I’m so so tired of this storm.”
Another message claimed that the shooter was “their student,” and said that they were still seeking counseling more than two weeks after the shooting.
“I’m still seeking counseling since everything I’ve experienced from, the smelling of gun powder, to the gun shots, the kids screaming, to the shooter being my student,” the message read. “I’ve been taking anxiety medicine to help me sleep if you call it sleep. I’ve been attending all of the funerals.”
Draft press release called then-district police chief ‘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 Uvalde CISD 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 Uvalde CISD to provide door maintenance records and requests for doors at Robb Elementary, specifically requesting records for the classrooms where the shooting happened.
An investigator with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), who said he was helping the Texas Rangers and the FBI, asked the district for copies of blueprints or construction plans for Robb Elementary.
Amy Marin, a former Robb Elementary 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.
DPS wrongfully accused Marin 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.
Uvalde HS notified phone threat to then-district police chief after Robb shooting
In an email sent at 5:48 p.m. on May 24, 2022, a Uvalde High School receptionist told Arredondo that she received two calls on May 23, 2022.
In those two calls, at 4:30 p.m. and 4:46 p.m., a male caller asked the receptionist: “You know your school just got f------ shot up right? How did that feel?”
The receptionist described the caller to Arredondo as a “boy” who “sounded young, maybe 17-18 years old.”
The shooting suspect made entry into a Robb Elementary classroom and began shooting at 11:33 a.m. on May 24, 2022, according to school surveillance video.
Arredondo forwarded the email at 5:37 a.m. on June 1, 2022.
The recipient of the email was redacted, but Arredondo wrote he was also forwarding it to his “admin.”
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.
Barbosa 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.
Teacher hears gunfire while taking children to recess, letter says
Lynn Deming, a fourth grade teacher at Robb Elementary, emailed a letter to Harrell and another district official just before 4:30 p.m. on June 12, 2022.
In the letter, Deming wrote that she was taking her students to recess when she heard the sound of gunfire.
“I closed the door between our classrooms gunshots came through my windows. I fell on the floor and began knocking desks over onto my legs so I wouldn’t make noise, but I could block the students from bullets,” Deming wrote, in part. “I told my students I loved them, I told them to stay quiet, and I told them to pray. Once the gunshots sounded like they were in the building, I sent a message to my husband telling him I love him and my children.”
Later in the letter, Deming wrote that she believed May 24, 2022, would be her last day.
“I had shrapnel in my back from when he shot in my window, I had blood all over the back of me, but I tried to stay calm for my students,” Deming continued. “I knew I had to stay calm when he came into my classroom. I needed my students to hear they were loved in case it was the last thing they ever heard.”
At 4:50 p.m., Uvalde CISD Assistant Superintendent Beth Reavis emailed Harrell about Deming’s letter.
“I have some concerns/thoughts,” Reavis wrote to Harrell.
Two days later, now former-Uvalde CISD School Board President Cal Lambert emailed Harrell about Deming’s letter.
“If she is correct in stating so, I am surprised and disappointed if no one from the district has reached out to her or checked on her,” Lambert wrote. “I had no idea she was injured or I would have reached out to her.”
Lambert also wrote that he doesn’t know who was injured or hospitalized on the day of the shooting because no one gave him that information.
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