Court Orders Texas DPS , to Release Documents on Law Enforcement , Response to Uvalde Shooting.
On June 29, an Austin judge ruled that the Texas
Department of Public Safety (DPS) must release documents
related to last year's deadly Uvalde school shooting.
District court Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle ruled that
the department's refusal to release records related to
the Robb Elementary School shooting violated state law.
In May of 2022, a gunman shot and killed 19
4th-graders and two teachers at the elementary school.
'The Independent' reports that the lawsuit was
brought by a media coalition seeking information
regarding law enforcement's botched response. .
According to the June 29 ruling, DPS must release
information including 911 recordings, body cam footage,
dashcam footage and details on training procedures.
As officials continue to shield nearly
all information related to the Uvalde
tragedy, on the basis of an investigation
that has already concluded and a purported
prosecution that has yet to materialize,
we are thrilled by the court’s ruling
that recognizes the public’s right
to know what happened that day, Laura Lee Prather, plaintiffs’ attorney, via the 'Texas Tribune'.
A Texas House committee slammed the response
to the shooting, which saw 400 heavily-armed
officers wait 77 minutes to take action.
In a statement to the 'Texas Tribune,' Laura Lee Prather,
the plaintiff's attorney, said that DPS .
“offered inconsistent accounts of how law enforcement
responded to the Uvalde tragedy, and its lack of
transparency has stirred suspicion and frustration in a
community that is still struggling with grief and shock.”.
According to Prather, the DPS refused
numerous requests for information by news outlets
that included CNN, 'The New York Times' and ABC.
Prather said that the information was withheld , "even though it’s clear under Texas law
that the public is entitled to have access
to these important public records."