Newly-released records from the 2022 Uvalde mass shooting, including body camera footage, 911 calls, text messages and more, are offering a deeper look into the tragedy.
Among the 911 calls, is a recording from Armando Ramos, the uncle of the 18-year-old shooter, Salvador Ramos, who carried out the attack at Robb Elementary School, killing 19 students and two teachers.
Just minutes after a SWAT team breached the classroom and killed the gunman, Armando called 911, begging to speak to his nephew in hopes of preventing further violence.
“Maybe he could listen to me because he does listen to me, everything I tell him he does listen to me,” Armando says in the recording, his voice breaking. “Maybe he could stand down or do something to turn himself in.”
He expressed his despair as he realized his nephew was likely shooting children. “Oh my God, please don’t do nothing stupid,” he asks. “Why did you do this? Why?”
The records also include a call from a teacher trapped inside the school, who remained on the line with a 911 operator for nearly 28 minutes. Her whispers conveyed the terror of the situation as she said, “I’m scared. They are banging at my door.”
Body camera footage shows officers cautiously approaching the school and reacting with alarm when they learned the gunman was armed with an AR-15. “Watch windows! Watch windows,” one officer shouts, while another responds with an expletive upon hearing about the weapon.
The incident, which took place on May 24, 2022, stands as the worst mass shooting at an educational institution in Texas history.
The latest release of records involving the attack comes with the resolution of a prolonged legal battle, that saw multiple media outlets filing a lawsuit against city officials who refused to publicly release the information.
With News Wire Services