By Aldgra Fredly
The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District on Monday released records related to the May 2022 mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.
The school district released the records after a Texas appeals court last month upheld a lower court’s ruling ordering their disclosure, following a legal battle with media outlets that sued to obtain the records.
The records include former Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo’s personnel files and text messages with other officers. Arredondo was terminated from his role after the incident.
In one message, a district secretary texted the chief at around 11.40 a.m. that someone had just called and reported hearing gunshots outside the school, adding that “they went ahead and locked themselves down.”
Arredondo later received another text message at 1.07 p.m. asking if any students had been injured or taken to the hospital, and if the “secure status” on the school could be lifted.
Shooter’s School Reports
Other released records include emails to and from senior district officials, as well as school records for Salvador Ramos, the 18-year-old shooter.
One of the files contains Ramos’s disciplinary reports at school, in which he was accused of repeated harassment and bullying while in middle school.
By ninth grade, he was classified as “at risk.”
Ramos withdrew from Uvalde High School in 2021 due to poor academic performance and low attendance.
Earlier school reports called him a bright learner before his years of escalating academic and behavioral troubles. One kindergarten report described him as a “motivated thinker and learner.”
The school district said in a statement posted to its website that it had notified families of the victims and the school community before releasing the records to the media.
“This decision to release the records is made with the most profound respect for our school community and is part of our ongoing commitment to building trust and ensuring transparency,” it stated.
“As we journey through the process of healing and rebuilding, the district remains dedicated to offering support and maintaining transparency,” the district added.
Officers Charged Over Response
Ramos was killed more than 77 minutes after police arrived on the scene, when law enforcement entered the classroom to confront him. Arredondo and another officer, Adrian Gonzales, are facing criminal charges over the slow law enforcement response to the shooting. They have been charged with child endangerment and have pleaded not guilty. They are scheduled for trial later this year.
The City of Uvalde had also released its records from the mass shooting—including devastating video and recordings of police radio traffic and 911 calls—in August 2024.
The Department of Justice released its own report in January 2024, finding that police made a costly error in assuming the shooter was barricaded, contained, or dead, even as he continued firing. The report said the delay enabled the shooter “additional time to reassess and reengage his deadly actions inside the classroom,“ and postponed medical interventions for victims.
The Associated Press and Jack Phillips contributed to this report.
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