SAN ANTONIO – More Uvalde CISD records were released on Wednesday, adding to the growing body of documents made public in the aftermath of the Robb Elementary School shooting.
RELATED: Uvalde CISD discloses withheld records, shedding light on Robb Elementary tragedy response
This latest batch includes thousands of new documents and several new videos, some of which are heartbreaking, while others offer new insight into issues long rumored, such as malfunctioning doors across the district, now captured on video for the first time.
The new material was sent late Wednesday afternoon by Uvalde CISD’s newly hired law firm, Thompson & Horton. No context or explanations were provided regarding the origin or purpose of many of the documents or videos.
One video shows a door to a building owned by Uvalde CISD that fails to lock automatically, swinging open with a push and requiring no contact with the handle. It remains unclear which campus the door belongs to or whether the footage was recorded before or after the May 24, 2022, shooting at Robb Elementary.
The district’s attorneys did not explain when the video was taken or why it was included, leaving unanswered questions about whether the malfunction occurred before the shooting or surfaced afterward. The footage shows the door opening freely without engaging the automatic locking mechanism, an issue consistent with concerns raised for more than two years.
Another section of the documents shows that state requests for information were not being immediately turned over to investigators but were instead routed through district attorneys for review. Just four days after the shooting, Texas Rangers requested maintenance records tied to specific doors at Robb Elementary, including classrooms 111 and 112 and several exterior doors on the west side of the building.
The district confirmed receiving the request, but internal emails show the superintendent forwarded it directly to the district’s attorneys. In response, a lawyer with Walsh Gallegos, then the district’s primary legal counsel, said they might not fulfill the request, and for litigation purposes, wanted copies of all public information requests as well as any documents the district planned to release. These exchanges were happening as investigators were still working to understand what failed inside the school.
The documents also include real-time written communications between staff members on the day of the shooting, capturing the confusion and fear as they struggled to learn who had survived. Messages sent around 4:30 p.m., when the confirmed death toll was still 14, show Robb Elementary teacher and survivor Tiffany Massey reaching out for updates because she did not have her phone. A staff member responded that one teacher had not survived, another had been shot, and two additional employees had also been injured, though their conditions were still unknown.
In that same message thread, staff were told officers were still locating students hiding inside the school, even hours after the shooting had stopped. Fourteen student deaths had been confirmed at that point, a number that would rise as the evening went on.
Additional internal messages reveal just how quickly fear and confusion spread through classrooms across the district. One administrator urged, “We’re here for you we’re in secure status please keep Robb in your prayers,” as teachers responded with variations of “Prayers for everyone God hear our prayers.”
Multiple teachers asked basic safety questions, “Should we be hiding?” and “How do we go to the restroom if doors are locked?” while comforting classes of four and five-year-olds who had no understanding of what was unfolding.
Other messages capture the first devastating confirmations of injuries and deaths. One staff member wrote, “Please be patient we have friends who have been injured.” Another shared, “Yes, my relative has been shot.” A separate message pleaded, “Please pray for Mr. Reyes, he has been shot.”
As the lockdown deepened, fear intensified. “My students are ready to leave the room,” one teacher wrote. Another responded, “We need to understand the gravity of the situation,” while a third said, “My students are scared to leave.”
Administrators later announced, “We are in a full lockdown buses have been pulled over Border Patrol agents are on campus.” A staff member replied, “Please keep us informed, we are so nervous.”
Our crews will be reviewing the latest documents and updating this story as more information becomes available.
THE DOCUMENTS