The Texas Tribune and a consortium of media companies are now suing the City of Uvalde for 911 calls and UPD dispatch transcripts and whatever else they might get. They've already all sued the DPS for essentially the same things, plus the investigation interviews and such. It's one more sign that the authorities are hiding major BAD THINGS that they don't want the public to know about.
The Texas Tribune, along with a group of other news organizations, filed a lawsuit Monday against the city of Uvalde, the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District asking a judge to order the release of records related to the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School.
The lawsuit states that the local entities have unlawfully withheld information detailing the actions of their dozens of law enforcement officers who responded to the massacre, which the news organizations requested under the Texas Public Information Act. These records include 911 calls, radio traffic, officer body camera footage, police reports, training materials and school surveillance footage.
“For more than three months, the City of Uvalde, Uvalde CISD and Uvalde Sheriff’s Office have resisted the community’s calls for transparency and accountability,” said Laura Lee Prather, a First Amendment lawyer at Haynes and Boone who represents the plaintiffs
The only consistent pattern we've seen to the story of May 24th is that whatever "they" tell us about what happened, it's worse, and they know it's worse. And "they" is whoever knows anything and has something to lose.
Important to note that this lawsuit and the previous lawsuit hasn't yet touched the federal side of the LEO response, yet.
I'm curious to discuss what records this lawsuit might uncover that the DPS lawsuit might not. Also, which venue and judge are likely to get quicker results if any, etc. Basically all the particulars.
Plus, something HUGE.
CW: discussion of suffering children
It's important to note that in political terms, rather than in forensic and investigatory terms, the 911 calls are nuclear hot, explosive as dynamite. If you think the leaked video was powerful stuff, wait until the public hears now-dead, and/ or likely wounded children pleading for their lives for help that isn't coming. Yet they are solidly pubic records in an open records state. This lawsuit will win the release of these materials. The only question is, when?