UVALDE, Texas — The city of Uvalde announced Wednesday morning that additional bodycam and dashcam video from the Robb Elementary School mass shooting was discovered. This comes a few days after the city released previously withheld documents and video as part of a lawsuit brought by a coalition of news organizations.
COMPLETE COVERAGE: Uvalde mass shooting
On Saturday, the Uvalde Police Department said it had released all of its video footage from the mass shooting that left 19 students and two teachers dead. However, that was not the case.
UPD Chief Homer Delgado said he was made aware by a UPD officer on Monday that there was a portion of his bodycam video that was not included in the release.
Delgado said he then ordered a comprehensive audit of UPD servers to determine whether there was any additional footage. During this audit, several videos were discovered and the department alerted District Attorney Christina Mitchell on Wednesday.
The city said Mitchell will now review the video to determine whether it is needed for further investigation.
The city said they will evaluate compliance with Judge Sid Harle’s order in terms of releasing the new video.
A coalition of news organizations sued the city of Uvalde in August 2022 for access to previously withheld documents, video, 911 calls, and more that would help victims’ families know what information law enforcement had that day and what actions they took. The city settled with the media coalition and access to the information was granted.
The coalition included several news organizations, including TEGNA stations WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth, KHOU 11 in Houston, KENS 5 in San Antonio, KVUE in Austin, KCEN in Waco, KBMT in Beaumont, KYTX in Tyler, KIII in Corpus Christi, KWES in Midland-Odessa, KIDY/KXVA in Abilene-San Angelo and KAGS in College Station.
Delgado, who was hired on April 29, almost two years following the mass shooting, said he has opened an internal affairs investigation to determine how this oversight occurred, who is responsible for the oversight, and what disciplinary actions are needed.
“Upon assuming the role of Chief of the Uvalde Police Department, I instituted the Guardian Initiative which, among other principles, promises full transparency to our community,” Delgado said. “In the spirit of our ongoing commitment to full transparency, I have ordered an immediate review of all footage collection and storage protocols within UPD and will institute a new process to ensure our department lives to up the highest standards. The Uvalde community and the public deserve nothing less.”
State Senator Roland Gutierrez who represents the Uvalde area reacted to these latest developments.
"It's disturbing for a lot of reasons," said Gutierrez. "All of this causes turmoil to those families and it causes pain. We have to acknowledge all they wanted was transparency, accountability, and policy change. And they've gotten none of those three things. What it further tells us is we're dealing with an incompetent district attorney who failed to get the necessary evidence. How do we know there's no smoking gun in that new video footage?"
Delgado also ordered an audit of the department’s Information Technology Division to determine whether there are any additional responsive records required to be disclosed. After it was completed, Delgado issued this statement on the internal investigation into the discovery of additional body camera video:
"After completing its internal investigation into the recently discovered body camera footage related to the Robb Elementary school shooting on May 24, 2022, the Uvalde Police Department (UPD) has taken disciplinary action against a staff member, who was placed on paid leave pending a final hearing and the completion of any potential appeals. The additional footage was uncovered after UPD Chief of Police Homer Delgado ordered a comprehensive audit of UPD servers on August 12, 2024 to determine whether there was any additional footage related to the Robb Elementary shooting that had not yet been disclosed.
"The Uvalde Police Department remains committed to transparency, accountability, and ensuring that all personnel adhere to the highest standards of professionalism. Our priority continues to be the safety and trust of the community we serve."