AUSTIN, TEXAS — Recently released videos from the tragic 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, reveal the chaotic scenes that unfolded that day. Initially withheld by police, these videos portray officers trying to aid victims, parents rushing toward the school, and numerous law enforcement personnel remaining outside the building during the incident.
The newly disclosed footage, which emerged on Tuesday, consists of hours of body-camera footage that is similar to earlier releases. Together, these recordings emphasize the slow and hesitant reaction of the police during the crisis, where a gunman took the lives of 19 children and two teachers inside a fourth-grade classroom, marking one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Authorities indicated that the additional video material was found shortly after a significant batch of audio and video recordings was made available to the public in August.
In one particularly alarming moment, officers are observed performing chest compressions on a victim outside the school, while others urgently call for help. A first responder can be heard stating, “No pulse! Slow compression,” amid scenes of blood-streaked hallways and continued appeals for assistance from inside the building as victims are evacuated.
Following the release of the additional footage in August, a Uvalde police officer was placed on paid leave and ultimately resigned. Sgt. Donald Page disclosed that his body camera footage was missing after the initial release, prompting officials to provide the previously unreleased video to the district attorney’s office. An internal probe was launched soon after, although details about how the new footage was uncovered remain unclear.
The city’s release of this material over the summer was the result of a protracted legal battle with various news organizations.
Officials’ delayed response to the shooting on May 24, 2022, has drawn widespread condemnation for its significant shortcomings. Nearly 400 officers waited for over 70 minutes before approaching the classroom filled with deceased and injured individuals in the small South Texas community of approximately 15,000 residents, located around 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio.
While students and teachers communicated with 911 dispatchers from inside their classrooms, numerous officers remained in the hallway, deliberating on their next steps as desperate parents gathered outside the school, urging them to enter.
Previously released recordings included 911 calls made by frightened students and teachers as gunfire erupted, accompanied by their pleas for help.
Federal investigations into the police response have pointed to communication failures and insufficient training as the primary factors behind the delayed confrontation with the gunman. Some have even suggested that officers prioritized their own safety over the welfare of the children and educators inside the classroom.
Two of the officers involved in the response are facing multiple criminal charges related to abandonment and endangerment. Former Uvalde school Police Chief Pete Arredondo and ex-school officer Adrian Gonzales have both entered not guilty pleas. Arredondo, who recently made his first court appearance, has claimed that he feels like a scapegoat in response to the heavily scrutinized police action during the incident.
