Texas House committee begins to investigate shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde
A Texas House of Representatives committee spent hours in executive session on Thursday as it began the process of investigating the shooting at an Uvalde Elementary school were 19 students and two teachers were killed.
The lawmakers made limited public remarks as they went in and out of executive session, where the committee’s chair Rep. Dustin Burrows previously announced they’d be hearing from members of the Texas Department of Public Safety and reviewing physical evidence. House Speaker Dade Phelan has tasked the committee with gathering information and reporting its findings to the House to help inform the legislative body’s work, according to an announcement from Phelan’s office.
Texas Department of Public of Safety Director Steve McCraw, as well as Deputy Director Homeland Security Operations Freeman Martin, Deputy Director Law Enforcement Operations Dwight Mathis and Deputy Director Law Enforcement Services Jeoff Williams were invited to speak.
“By way of update, the committee was able to obtain, have a briefing from the Department of Public Safety and a thorough examination to get us acquainted,” Burrows, a Lubbock Republican, said at the close of the hearing. “We have begun to review the physical evidence and individually we will continue to review the ... evidence over the next coming days.”
The committee is hearing from witnesses outside of the public due to the “quasi-judicial nature” of its work. Members of the three person committee include Burrows, Rep. Joe Moody, an El Paso Democrat who serves as its vice chair, and former Texas Supreme Court Justice Eva Guzman, who recently ran for Texas attorney general.
Each member of the committee feels there is a need for transparency and would love to start discussing what they’ve learned and what they’ll continue to learn, Burrows said.
“But there is also a respect for the process,” he said. “There has been a lot of misinformation or half information that has gotten out. I feel that has led to some confusion around the state. In an effort to want to be thorough and, more importantly, accurate, we’re going to continue to review this as a committee, individually, make sure that we have continued to visit with more individuals who have firsthand accounts before we reveal more information or any conclusions that we’re beginning to come to.”
At the start of the meeting, Burrows said he understood there is tremendous public interest in the circumstances around the shooting. The committee may produce a preliminary report to get information out to the public before the full investigation has taken place, Burrows said.
“The people of Uvalde — and the entire state of Texas — deserve facts and answers as to what happened leading up to, during, and in the aftermath of this tragedy, and this committee will do everything in its power to get to the bottom of this matter,” Burrows said at the start of the hearing.
Moody, whose hometown of El Paso experienced a mass shooting at Walmart in 2019, said a “do nothing attitude” cannot be accepted as the meeting began around 9 am. The committee adorned shortly after 2:30 p.m.
“Failing to tackle these issues because they’re difficult or politically uncomfortable is cowardly and morally wrong,” Moody said.
He added, “When the issues are this complex and the stakes are this high, we need facts first. We can’t develop sound policies based on the conflicting reports we’ve had, especially when some of them are agenda driven narratives. We have to cut through the noise and the partisanship and deliver the truth.”
Guzman reiterated that the committee is committed to investigating the facts and delivering answers.
There isn’t a set timeline for producing a report and making findings, Burrows said.
“We recognize the need to be objective and thorough,” he said. “We will balance the interest of being timely.”
Burrows said no decisions were made Thursday and the committee is expected to meet again next week to examine more witnesses.
“I can’t share specifics for the same reason detectives don’t livestream witness interviews,” Moody said in a written statement following the hearing. “This is an investigation, so we need candor from the people we question and the freedom to pursue leads without tainting the results.”
The committee’s work also “involves grieving people who deserve all the privacy and dignity we can give them,” he said.
“But rest assured that our findings will be public when our work is done, and we’ll stand ready to answer any questions we can at that time,” Moody said.
This story was originally published June 9, 2022 at 10:49 AM.
