Associated Press, Other News Organizations Sue Uvalde Officials Over Records Related to School Shooting

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The Associated Press and other outlets have sued officials in Uvalde, Texas, over records being withheld from the public as they relate to the May mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.

According to the Associated Press:

The lawsuit filed Monday in Uvalde County asks a court to force the city, school district and sheriff’s department to turn over 911 recordings, personnel records and other documents. Newsrooms have requested them under Texas open records laws since a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers on May 24.

More than three months after one of the deadliest classroom shootings in U.S. history, news organization have turned to courts in an effort to obtain information and records that Uvalde officials and state police have argued they cannot release because of ongoing investigations. The Texas Attorney General’s Office has also ruled that Uvalde officials cannot withhold all records.

Misleading and outright false statements by authorities about the police response in the initial hours and days after the attack on a fourth-grade classroom — which lasted more than 70 minutes — have sowed distrust that remains among many Uvalde residents.

“The obfuscation and inaction have only prolonged the pain of victims, their families and the community at large, all of whom continue to cry out for transparency regarding the events of that day,” reads the lawsuit.

A Uvalde city spokesperson confirmed receipt of a copy of the lawsuit and declined to comment.

In June, Multiple news outlets wrote to Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin to release information about the shooting. The letter cited measures that do not stop information from being released to the public.