Uvalde shooting video to be released Sunday, lawmaker says

Texas lawmakers will release video footage this Sunday that was recorded in Uvalde’s Robb Elementary School during the deadly shooting that took place in the school in May, state Rep. Dustin Burrows (R) announced on Tuesday.

“The Committee will convene at 2 PM on Sunday in Uvalde,” Burrows wrote on Twitter, referring to the Texas state House of Representatives committee investigating the shooting, of which he is the chairman.

“We will meet with members of the community first, and provide them an opportunity to see the hallway video and discuss our preliminary report. Very soon thereafter, we will release both to the public,” he continued.

Texas officials have been divided on whether to release the footage, which shows a hallway in the school and does not include video of any violence or victims of the shooting.

The 77-minute video spans from the arrival of gunman Salvador Ramos, who killed 19 children and two teachers during the shooting, to the entrance of Uvalde police into the classrooms where Ramos carried out the attack.

The Uvalde police force has come under heavy criticism for its response to the shooting, which saw officers wait more than an hour after reaching the school to engage the gunman.

“We feel strongly that members of the Uvalde community should have the opportunity to see the video and hear from us before they are made public,” Burrows said on Tuesday, explaining the choice to show Uvalde residents the footage before releasing it more widely.

A day prior, Burrows stated: “It is my intention to show the hallway video to the people of Uvalde, regardless of any agreement.  I will not release it to the public until the people of Uvalde have seen it for themselves.”

Burrows shared a letter from the Texas Department of Public Safety on Friday saying that while public viewing of the hallway video would not harm its investigation, Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee had instructed the department not to release it.