Officials release more videos about the police’s hesitant response to the Uvalde school shooting

AUSTIN, TEXAS – Videos from the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which police did not initially make public, show officers scrambling to treat victims, parents running near the building and dozens of police officers the Robb Elementary School.

Police said the additional videos were discovered days after a large collection of audio and video recordings were released in August. Overall, the footage shows the hesitant police response in the small South Texas town where a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in a fourth-grade classroom in one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history.

Hours of new video released Tuesday contain material similar to material previously released. In a chaotic scene, officers can be seen outside performing CPR on a victim and others screaming for help.

A Uvalde officer was placed on paid leave following the discovery of the additional videos in August. City officials’ release of the material over the summer followed a lengthy legal battle with The Associated Press and other news organizations.

Law enforcement’s delayed response to the May 24, 2022 shooting was widely condemned as a massive failure: Nearly 400 officers waited more than 70 minutes before apprehending the shooter in a classroom full of dead and injured children and teachers in the South Texas city with about 15,000 residents 80 miles (130 kilometers) west of San Antonio.

As frightened students and teachers called 911 from classrooms, dozens of officers stood in the hallway wondering what to do. Desperate parents gathered outside the building begged them to go inside.

Previously released audio recordings included distress calls from frightened teachers and students as shots rang out and cries for help rang out.

Federal investigations into law enforcement’s response cited communication breakdowns and inadequate training as reasons for their failure to confront the shooter. Some even questioned whether officials were prioritizing their own lives over those of children and teachers.

Two of the responding officers face multiple criminal charges of neglect and endangerment. Former Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school official Adrian Gonzales have pleaded not guilty. Arredondo, who made his first court appearance last month, has said he believes he has been scapegoated for the heavily scrutinized police response.

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Associated Press reporter Jamie Stengle contributed to this report from Dallas.

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Lathan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.