Police may never be able to account for what went wrong during the Uvalde school massacre, thanks to a peculiarity of Texas law.
The law, intended to protect unjustly accused people, says police agencies cannot publish their investigation files unless a person is convicted of a crime.
But when an accused criminal dies before being convicted, that allows police to withhold information, said an award-winning Texas journalist.
Called the “Suspicious Death Gap,” the law has prevented the families of those who die in police custody from knowing the circumstances of the deaths, according to Tony Plohetski, an investigative journalist for Austin American Statesman and KVUE.
It could also hamper efforts to get officials to post 911 tapes, a body camera video and other recordings of the May 24 crash that left 19 children and two teachers dead while police waited longer. an hour to enter the classroom where the massacre was taking place. , tweeted Plohetski.
Young gunman Salvador Ramos, 18, also died after being shot dead by police, a key factor in leaking information.
“The law leaves the decision to disclose the information to the police,” Plohetski said.
Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo admitted he did not have a police radio during the shooting. Austin American-Statesman-USA TO
The state Department of Public Safety is leading an investigation into the police response to the carnage at Robb Elementary School.
But so far, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot’s state officials have issued conflicting statements about the shooting, which have angered Uvalde residents, and reports have indicated that the school district and city police are not cooperating with research.
School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was in charge of the scene on the day of the shooting, has not yet made a public statement about his decision to detain officers for more than an hour instead of order them to immediately load the classroom where he was. The shooter was, despite calls to 911 from the children in the room.
People head to Uvalde Memorial Hospital for updates during the shooting at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022. Billy Calzada / The San Antonio Express-News via AP A memorial at the entrance by Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, May 26, 2022. Brandon Bell / Getty Images
Texas Department of Homeland Security director Steven McCraw later said this was the “wrong decision, period.”
Arrendondo, 50, arrived at the scene without a police radio and may not have known that children in the classroom were calling 911 for help while officers were out.
The incumbent has sworn in his new position in the City Council of Uvalde, a position for which he was elected last month, in secret after city officials canceled a public ceremony previously scheduled for Tuesday.
Local journalist Tony Plohetski argued that the UValde police could use the “slit of the suspect suspect” to withhold any recorded evidence. William Luther / The San Antonio Express-News via AP. The images show an alleged gunman Salvador Ramos entering Robb Elementary School. Elsa G Ruiz / Facebook
The City Council has locked its doors during business hours and refused to immediately provide any public record to journalists, according to the Texas Tribune. City Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez has not publicly answered questions about his officers’ response to the shooting.
Uvalde police have threatened to arrest journalists outside the school district for intrusion and reportedly told a mother who was handcuffed during the shooting and later rescued her own children from the school. school that could be charged with a parole violation to tell its story to the press.
The school board in Uvalde held its first meeting since the massacre on Friday night, but did not take any action against Arredondo, despite the fact that there was a possible vote on the agenda to dismiss him, according to the Tribune. The police chief did not attend the meeting.
The Texas State Department of Homeland Security is investigating Uvalde’s police response during the school shooting. AP Photo / Dario Lopez-Mills Authorities say alleged gunman Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School through an unlocked door.salv8dor_ / Instagram
“More than anything, the families of the victims of #Uvalde need honest answers and transparency. “It would be absolutely inconceivable to use the ‘suspect’s death gap’ to frustrate the release of information that is so necessary and deserved right now,” Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan said. “.
The Republican said the statute did not work as intended and that it “needs urgent reform.”
Previous efforts to change the law have failed, Phelan said, adding: “I think it’s time to pass legislation to finally end the crackdown on suspects who died in 2023.”
The UValde police and the police force of the Uvalde school system do not cooperate with each other. Jordan Vonderhaar / Getty Images Parents have criticized Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo for not ordering officers to immediately confront gunman Salvador Ramos inside Robb Elementary.AP Photo / Jae C. Hong, file