Greg Abbott’s notes from the Uvalde shooting raise fresh questions

Sign up for The Brief, our every day e-newsletter that retains readers on top of things on the most important Texas news.

Handwritten notes Gov. Greg Abbott made following the bloodbath at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde raise new questions about who allegedly “misled” the governor about the broadly criticized police response to the shooting, inflicting him to initially relay inaccurate information to the public that he would later retract.

The 9 pages of blue ink on white lined paper, first published by the Houston tv station KTRK, present how Abbott ready his remarks for a news convention May 25, the day after the shooting — presumably primarily based on information being given to him. Abbott mentioned Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District cops had “engaged with the gunman” exterior the faculty earlier than the gunman was in a position to enter by means of a again door.

But that turned out to be false.

The subsequent day, a Department of Public Safety commander mentioned the gunman went into the faculty unobstructed by any police. Abbott, in flip, mentioned he had taken handwritten notes primarily based on the particulars regulation enforcement and different officers had instructed him, that are what he used to arrange his public statements about the incident. He added that he was “livid” about being “misled.”

Who precisely gave Abbott false information, nevertheless, stays a thriller. Abbott final week declined to establish the culprits, saying solely they have been “public officials.”

Uvalde CISD police Chief Pete Arredondo instructed The Texas Tribune this week that he was not the supply. Arredondo mentioned after he heard Abbott make the false assertion that the shooter had been confronted exterior the faculty, he requested DPS officers, whom he declined to establish, why state leaders had been given inaccurate information.

Abbott’s notes don’t point out who instructed him police confronted the gunman exterior. Abbott wrote the phrase “mayor” at the prime of the doc. Uvalde Mayor Steve McLaughlin declined to reply questions about what he mentioned with the governor earlier than the May 25 news convention. DPS additionally declined to remark.

Since Abbott on May 25 praised the “amazing courage” of police and mentioned the loss of life toll of 21 college students and lecturers “could have been worse,” a extra difficult image of the regulation enforcement response to the shooting has emerged.

State police mentioned Arredondo, as incident commander, made the “wrong decision” by ordering officers to not instantly confront the shooter. Arredondo pushed again towards that assertion final week, saying he was not in command of the scene, didn’t problem any orders and instantly bumped into the faculty upon his arrival, hoping to confront the shooter.

Despite being the faculty district police, Arredondo mentioned he and his officers didn’t have keys to open the doorways to the adjoining lecture rooms the place the shooter carried out the bloodbath. More than 40 minutes passed earlier than police have been capable of finding a key that labored, enter the rooms and kill the gunman.

Arredondo is the solely police officer who responded to the shooting to supply a public first-person account of his actions. Other companies who responded — together with the U.S. Border Patrol, Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office — declined to reply questions about their officers’ conduct.

Join us Sept. 22-24 in individual in downtown Austin for The Texas Tribune Festival and expertise 100+ dialog occasions that includes large names you realize and others you need to from the worlds of politics, public coverage, the media and tech — all curated by The Texas Tribune’s award-winning journalists. Buy tickets.