Uvalde community reacts to release of Robb Elementary School hallway video from the day of the massacre

The Uvalde mayor, city council, and some families were upset at how the video was released. Others applauded the video’s release.

UVALDE, Texas — On Tuesday, KHOU 11’s sister station in Austin, KVUE, along with the Austin American-Statesman, released video from inside the hallway at Robb Elementary School on the day of the mass shooting that killed 19 students and two teachers.

The video, which was obtained by Austin American-Statesman and KVUE senior reporter Tony Plohetski, showed the 18-year-old gunman entering the school and the law enforcement response to the shooting.

The Uvalde mayor, city council, and some families were upset at how the video was released. Others applauded the video’s release and turned the criticism back on the law response during the shooting and the handling of the aftermath.

At this week’s council meeting, the most contentious item wasn’t on the agenda.

“I want to go on the record. The way that video was released today was one of the most chicken things I’ve ever seen,” Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin blasted the decision to release the video before a planned Sunday Texas House committee meeting. He said the threat of legal action from the DA prevented him from releasing it earlier.

Committee Chairman Dustin Burrows said on Tuesday he planned to show the victims’ families video privately from after the gunman entered the room to before officers breached it.

“They were gonna see the video, but they didn’t need to see the gunman coming in and hear the gunshots,” McLaughlin said.

“That was c********** to release that video the way you did. That part of the video was not supposed to be part of what they were doing Sunday,” Uvalde City Council Member Earnest “Chip” King III said.

But some community members applauded the release. One responded to the council by asking if the responding officers were chickens.

“Y’all attacking the media, y’all aren’t attacking the cops that did nothing,” one upset community member said.

Families and members of the community have been calling for accountability and the release of the video for the seven weeks since the shooting took place. Even Gov. Greg Abbott called for its release on Monday.

“When I looked at that video and I saw the officers that were standing in that hallway doing nothing except standing back, I was very disappointed,” another community member said.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the council unanimously voted to accept Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo’s resignation from the council.

Some members of the public want him gone as school district police chief.

The school board meets on July 18.

You can watch the full Uvalde City Council meeting below: