CNN provides parents with footage of the Uvalde shooting a year after the massacre
A year after the Uvalde school shooting killed 19 children and two adults, parents who demanded answers and accountability were finally given access to the recordings.
CNN made the videos accessible in a rare move to parents and after previously opening 911 calls to the public.
The outlet acknowledged that it should be law enforcement’s job to release such information and footage to the families, but District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee has kept families and community members in the dark while the investigation continues.
“Knowing that the families — along with other media organizations — were being banned from recordings that would normally be public, CNN made the extraordinary decision to allow the families to watch,” the media wrote in a Sunday article. The story precedes an episode discussing the subject on Sunday night’s The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper.
The Robb Elementary School massacre, the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, occurred on May 24, 2023, when an 18-year-old gunman broke into the school without confrontation almost 400 police officers 77 minutes on site.
As Local outlet My San Antonio reported In March, many parents hoped the Texas Department of Public Safety would release video footage of the shooting. However, the Uvalde District Attorney argued that the release of the footage would hamper investigations and make it more difficult to bring criminal charges.
Lawyers from several news organizations seeking to obtain footage from DPS argued that Busbee failed to make clear how the release of the footage would hurt the investigation and was instead withholding valuable information from the public.
The Uvalde district attorney’s office and the Texas Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
“It’s hard to put into words how difficult it was last year Coverage of the school shooting in UvaldeShimon Prokupecz, senior crime and justice correspondent at CNN, said in one press release.
The shooting that took place in the Pro-gun state Texashas contributed to the discourse on mass shootings and gun violence, but also initiated discussions about which and how media should report on these events.
Prokupecz, who will speak to parents, students and lawmakers on Sunday night’s episode of “The Whole Story,” said in the press release that he hopes his reporting and that of other CNN journalists will contribute to the conversation that is important to protecting people used before mass shootings.
“It is without a doubt one of the most difficult stories I have covered in my career, and it is a lasting and somber reminder of the devastating impact that gun violence can have on innocent people and communities,” he continued.
After watching some of the footage, a father had to resign.
“Every damn cop who was there has to surrender their badge. Every damn cop in Uvalde has to give up their badge,” he said, according to CNN.
It’s not clear when the DPS investigation into the shooting will be complete. The Justice Department is also reviewing law enforcement’s response to the shooting.
