SAN ANTONIO – A group of news organizations, including KSAT 12, asked a Texas appeals court on Thursday to release school and county records from law enforcement’s response to the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
Attorneys for the media outlets, Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office went before four judges to make their cases.
You can watch Thursday afternoon’s oral arguments in the video below.
This is the latest dispute in a yearslong battle over what should be made public from one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
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In July 2024, a district court judge ordered Uvalde CISD and the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office to release their records. Those records include police body camera footage, 911 calls, emails and text messages related to the shooting and subsequent investigation.
In August 2024, the agencies filed an intent to appeal the decision, delaying the process.
Last month, KSAT spoke with Laura Prather, the media law chair for Haynes Boone. She represents several media outlets, including KSAT, in the fight to release public records.
“We are waiting to get the entire investigative file,” Prather said. “We’re waiting to get the full body camera footage. We’re waiting to get the hallway video. We’re waiting to get the 911 calls. We’re waiting to get all of that in the context of the investigative report that was done.”
After a judge’s ruling, the City of Uvalde released some of its records in August 2024. Two months later, the city turned over 48 additional videos.
A Uvalde police sergeant retired after the agency placed him on leave for failing to hand over the footage.
The Texas Department of Public Safety is continuing to fight the release of its records.
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.
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