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Uvalde families continue fight for justice after city releases files, recordings

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Published  August 18, 2024 8:23pm CDT
FOX 7 Focus
FOX 7 Austin

Uvalde officials release files: FOX 7 Focus

It's been over a week since Uvalde city officials released a massive collection of videos, audio recordings, 911 calls and documents connected to the school shooting at Robb Elementary School. Stephanie Sherman, an attorney representing families of Uvalde victims and survivors, talks with John Krinjak about this in this FOX 7 Focus.

AUSTIN, Texas - It's been over a week since a trove of audio, video and documents was released that shed new light on the deadly shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

911 calls from students and others, along with body camera footage and surveillance videos from the May 24, 2022, shooting were included in a massive collection of audio and video recordings released by Uvalde city officials on Saturday after a prolonged legal fight. 

The Associated Press and other news organizations brought a lawsuit after the officials initially refused to publicly release the information. The massacre, which left 19 students and two teachers dead, was one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. 

Stephanie Sherman, an attorney representing several of the victims' families and survivors, spoke with FOX 7 Austin's John Krinjak about what's next in their fight for justice in this FOX 7 Focus.

JOHN KRINJAK: Stephanie, thanks so much for joining us. First thing I want to ask you is that among all these files that were released was some audio of a 911 call from the uncle of the shooter.

JOHN KRINJAK: Aside from that audio just being terrifying, what struck you when you heard this 911 call?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: Well, John, it's the result of our conversation you and I had had last time about the concealment of evidence. And now we have the release of this critical piece of evidence over two years after the shooting. And in Texas, there's a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury and wrongful death claims. And so that was calculated. That is just further traumatizing for the families and the survivors.

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JOHN KRINJAK: And I understand you're now representing the grandmother of the shooter, who herself was shot earlier that day, right? What is her perspective on all this?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: She is a victim as well, John. And she was allowing him to stay at her house temporarily because he was kicked out of his mother's home, and he was trying to make his way to San Antonio. So she was being the good grandmother and had no idea that he was buying an AR-15, stockpiling ammunition. Her cheek was blown off, her jaw was blown off. But now she's dealing with the aftermath and PTSD, like all the other victims in this community.

JOHN KRINJAK: And aside from that 911 call, there's so much audio, video, body cams, is there anything that sticks out to you among all of those files that were released?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: When I listen to the body cams and the videos and that sort of thing, it signals to me this is … a law enforcement group that really lacked training and lacked confidence and lacked the know-how of how to handle a grave situation like this.

JOHN KRINJAK: We heard for the first time from the former Uvalde CISD police chief, Pete Arredondo, who, of course, was fired. He spoke out in an interview.

JOHN KRINJAK: He says he feels like he's being scapegoated in this. What is your reaction to what he has to say?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: I mean that that is certainly possible. He's being scapegoated. But the active shooter training program is very clear that someone must take command, and it's distract, neutralize, kill. So even though they retreated at first, you have to do whatever it takes to get the shooter neutralized. And that wasn't done. And that's evident by 77 minutes passing.

JOHN KRINJAK: And just kind of looking ahead. I mean, obviously, there's a lot that's still up in the air, with these legal fights. We talked about Arredondo, but there's another officer, one of his former officers who's been charged. Do you think there could be other consequences for other law enforcement as we move forward?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: There certainly could be. The district attorney of Uvalde is in charge of that investigation, and she has indicted those two officers, and those are senior people that were their responsibility and were supposed to take command. I think that there could be more indictments. I'm not sure. But the community certainly wants accountability. They want these officers criminally charged. And I'm glad to see that those steps are being taken.

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JOHN KRINJAK: And to that point, you know, where does that kind of fight for justice go from here from the standpoint of those families?

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: Well, the challenge in this case is that there is immunity in Texas for police officers and for this, the case law in Texas doesn't allow many of these cases to go forward. There's going to be a huge uphill battle in court. All of the defendants have already, in my cases, filed motions to dismiss. So, if we get past motions to dismiss, which will be briefed this fall, and we win, that is a huge, huge victory. But that is not guaranteed.

JOHN KRINJAK: All right. Stephanie Sherman, attorney representing some of the Uvalde families of victims and survivors. Thank you so much, Stephanie, once again, for being here. We appreciate it.

STEPHANIE SHERMAN: Thanks, John. Have a great day.