Uvalde mayor accuses DA of ‘cover-up’ in Robb Elementary shooting investigation, calls for resignation

Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News
·2 min read
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Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin has demanded District Attorney Christina Mitchell resign over what he alleged was an intentional and ongoing effort to block the city’s probe into last year’s massacre at Robb Elementary School, which claimed the lives of 21 people.

McLaughlin brought the allegations against Mitchell in a lawsuit filed earlier this week in Uvalde County District Court, ABC News reported. He is seeking an order that would require the district attorney’s office to turn over all evidence from the mass shooting to Jesse Prado, an independent investigator hired by the city to look into authorities’ response to the violence.

On May 24, 2022, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, marched into Robb Elementary through an unlocked door, and then barricaded himself inside a classroom, where he remained for more than an hour. Just outside the door, responding officers milled about in the hallway, entering the room only after locating the key that unlocks it.

The shooter managed to kill two teachers and 19 students before he was ultimately shot by a U.S. border patrol agent.

In wake of the carnage, authorities released and retracted several timelines, sowing confusion and distrust among those mourning in the close-knit Uvalde community. They also faced severe backlash for neglecting to immediately engage with the shooter.

“It’s been fifteen months since this tragedy, and I feel the families and our community deserve answers,” McLaughlin said in a written statement obtained by CNN.

McLaughlin’s lawsuit marks the second time he has sued Mitchell’s office for failing to provide information to the city’s private investigator. Filed in December 2022, the original suit was eventually dismissed after Mitchell vowed to hand over all requested evidence.

“She failed once again to keep her word,” McLaughlin said.

McLaughlin told KSAT, the city is specifically seeking statements from law enforcement agencies, including those given by officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety, in addition to bodycam video.

“It was available,” he said of the footage. “I was trying to get it so we could go ahead and get our investigation to give her, you know. And then we’re told to go to YouTube and get it off YouTube. Really? I mean, that’s, you know, we can’t use that.”