Texas state senator sues DPS for information on Uvalde school massacre

McALLEN, Texas (border report) – Texas State Senator Roland Gutierrez is suing the Department of Public Safety, demanding more information about the May 24 school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers in Uvalde, Texas.

The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in Austin District Court just as a special Senate hearing is also underway in the state Capitol in which DPS officials accuse police of failing to protect victims. in what is the deadliest school shooting in the United States for several decades. , and worst ever in a Texas public school.

Gutierrez, a Democrat who represents Uvalde, said he sent an open records request to the DPS on May 31 asking for numerous categories of information related to the May 24 massacre and the law enforcement response. But, according to the lawsuit, he says he did not receive the information or a notice from the DPS that he is seeking an attorney general’s decision on whether or not to release the information.

“Residents of Uvalde and Texas demanded answers from their government. To date, they have faced lies, inaccuracies and shifts in responsibility. The State of Texas has failed these families and these families deserve to know the full and unalterable truth about what happened that day. It’s a suit to demand exactly that,” the lawsuit reads.

Under Texas lawthe information must be released or a notice that they seek clarification from the Attorney General’s office must be sent to the applicant within 10 business days of the request for original documents.

“In the wake of this massacre, the State of Texas has completely failed to provide the community of Uvalde with truthful answers. Weeks have passed, and yet the families who have lost their children have not been told by their government basic information about who was on the scene while their children were bleeding, what tools were at their disposal to stop the shooter and exactly why they decided to wait instead of act,” Gutierrez said in a statement. “The community of Uvalde deserves answers now, so we can begin to heal and ensure a massacre like this never happens again.”

Information requested by Gutierrez from DPS Director Steve McCraw includes:

• The ballistics report on the incident.
• Any policy manual or document governing joint operations between the DPS and local law enforcement in an active shooter or hostage situation.
• Documents or reports detailing police and DPS presence at the school in response to the active shooter situation.
• The exact time each DPS officer, police officer from any city, sheriff’s deputy or federal agent arrived on the scene on May 24 in Uvalde.
• Who was in operational control at every stage of the law enforcement response.

The lawsuit was also filed as lawmakers in Washington, D.C. also investigate the deaths on Wednesday and hold a special hearing by the U.S. House Oversight and Reform Committee on gun reform.