What really happened the day a crazed well-armed gunman committed mass murder at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde?
That day, May 24, 2022, 19 children and two teachers were killed in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
It took law enforcement over an hour to enter the classroom where wounded children waited to be rescued and the shooter waited for his bloody final showdown.
The lies started immediately from Governor Greg Abbott, the head of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, and chief of police for the Uvalde Consolidated School District, Pete Arredondo.
“It could have been worse,” was one of Abbott’s glib remarks that day to the media as he hailed the law enforcement officers as "heroes."
More than a year and a half after the massacre, the public and the families of the victims are still fighting to get the truth. They want to know—and they deserve to know— why law enforcement failed so tragically.
But more answers are being provided through a joint investigation by FRONTLINE, The Texas Tribune and ProPublica. The three journalism organizations gained access to a trove of the materials from the investigation and were able to review the accounts of almost 150 responding officers, as well as hours of body camera footage and 911 calls.
In a new documentary, “Inside the Uvalde Response,” the news organizations draw on these materials to reconstruct the day’s events, giving a detailed analysis of one of the most criticized mass shooting responses in recent history, and providing extraordinary real-time insight into law enforcement’s thoughts and actions.
Accounts in the documentary suggest that officers didn’t initially realize there were children in the school’s classrooms, as the kids were doing what they’d been taught to do in active shooter trainings: remain out of sight and stay quiet. An effective chain of command was absent. And failures in communication throughout all levels of law enforcement compounded the confusion.
“Inside the Uvalde Response,” a documentary that is part of the collaboration, premieres Tuesday at 10 p.m. EST on PBS stations (check local listings) and will be available to stream on the PBS App, YouTube and FRONTLINE’s website.
Guest:
Lomi Kriel is a reporter for ProPublica/Texas Tribune Investigative Unit.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m. Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview was recorded on Tuesday, December 5, 2023.
