Burrows tapped to lead Texas House investigation into Robb shooting

Texas House of Representatives Speaker Dade Phelan on Friday morning announced a special committee to investigate the shooting in Uvalde with Lubbock Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows at its head.

The three-member Investigative Committee on the Robb Elementary Shooting will consist of Burrows as the chair, Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, as vice chair and Hon. Eva Guzman, Republican former Texas Supreme Court Justice.

The committee is tasked solely with investigating the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. The committee will have subpoena powers and can conduct depositions and initiate discovery.

"The Robb Elementary School victims, their families, friends, community and all of Texas have the right to a full and truthful account of what happened in Uvalde," Burrows said Friday. "This investigation will be thorough and complete, with no preconceived notions of what did or did not occur. Our goal is to provide an unbiased and objective report that can be relied upon by the legislature as it considers policy to prevent future school shootings."

Burrows added that the committee will begin its work immediately.

"The fact we still do not have an accurate picture of what exactly happened in Uvalde is an outrage," Phelan, R-Beaumont, said. "Every day, we receive new information that conflicts with previous reports, making it not only difficult for authorities to figure out next steps, but for the grieving families of the victims to receive closure. I established this investigative committee for the dedicated purpose of gathering as much information and evidence as possible to help inform the House’s response to this tragedy and deliver desperately needed answers to the people of Uvalde and the State of Texas."

Phelan's announcement comes shortly after Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick created and appointed Sen. Charles Perry, R-Lubbock, to the Senate Special Committee to Protect All Texans. Both the Senate and House committees were created in response to Gov. Greg Abbott's call for a legislative response to the Uvalde tragedy.

More: Abbott asks House, Senate to form special committees to study school violence, Perry appointed

In addition to forming the new committee, Phelan announced additional appointments to the House Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety: Rep. Greg Bonnen, R-Friendswood; Rep. Mary Gonzalez, D-Clint; Rep. Tracy King, D-Batesville; Rep. John Kuempel, R-Seguin; and Rep. Brooks Landgraf, R-Odessa.

Each of these legislators represent a city that has recently experienced a mass shooting — Santa Fe, El Paso, Uvalde, Sutherland Springs and Odessa, respectively.

Phelan issued joint charges to this committee along with the House Homeland & Public Safety Committee to study and make recommendations in five areas: school safety, mental health, social media, police training and firearm safety.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Dustin Burrows to lead Texas House investigation into Uvalde shooting