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Uvalde mayor accuses Texas law enforcement director of lying, leaking and misleading to avoid blame in shooting investigation - CNN

Uvalde mayor accuses Texas law enforcement director of lying, leaking and misleading to avoid blame in shooting investigation - CNN

Uvalde mayor accuses Texas law enforcement director of lying, leaking and misleading to avoid blame in shooting investigation - CNN
Jun 22, 2022 2 mins, 10 secs

Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat representing the County of Uvalde, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against DPS, arguing the agency violated the Texas Public Information Act when his request for information on the shooting was ignored.

"In the wake of the senseless tragedy, the people of Uvalde and Texas have demanded answers from their government.

"The petty infighting, the clickbait headlines and the politically motivated scapegoating is not helping anyone."

CNN has reached out to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the district attorney's office, the chair of the Texas House investigating committee and the San Antonio office of the FBI for further comment.

State senator's lawsuit challenges DPS secrecy

In his lawsuit filed Wednesday, Gutierrez challenged the DPS's decisions to withhold information from the public, including police bodycam footage, 911 audio and ballistics reports.

"DPS has violated Chapter 552 of the Texas Government by failing to provide public documents that are presumed to be public within a reasonable time," the lawsuit states.

In a section titled "The Cover-Up," the lawsuit notes that DPS has used an exception to the law to keep records private.

"These government agencies have used the 'on going law enforcement exception' to the Texas open records law to disallow access to information that might shed light on the response to the school shooting," the lawsuit states.

Gutierrez is asking the Travis County District Court to rule that DPS immediately provide the documents in his records request.

District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee issued a statement two weeks ago stating the shooting was being investigated by the FBI and Texas Rangers and that "any release of records to that incident at this time would interfere with said ongoing investigation and would impede a thorough and complete investigation."

Still, Kelley Shannon, the executive director of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas, urged transparency in a statement Wednesday.

"It is important to note that the Texas Public Information Act does not require law enforcement investigators to withhold information from the public about a crime," Shannon said.

In fact, many police and prosecutors across Texas routinely release investigative information to the public when they feel the need to -- whether to help catch a wanted suspect, to seek more tips about a crime or to showcase the positive performance of police."

Mayor says he's frustrated by lack of transparency

At the city council meeting, McLaughlin noted that officers from at least eight law enforcement agencies were in the hallway outside the classrooms on the day of the shooting.

That's the missteps I'm talking about," he added.

The city council meeting also took issue with Arredondo's absence from the public eye.

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