Legislators continue investigative hearings in Uvalde behind closed doors

UVALDE, Texas (KTRK) -- Inside Uvalde City Hall, a three-member panel is investigating what happened inside Robb Elementary School during a mass shooting and why and how.

"The purpose of this committee is to investigate this matter, to get all of the facts and provide them in a way that is transparent to all of Texas and Uvalde," said Representative Dustin Burrows from Lubbock.

He leads the committee, joined by Representative Joe Moody from El Paso and former Texas Supreme Court Judge Eva Guzman.

"In the end, the facts are what they are. They cannot be ignored, enhanced, or diminished," said Guzman.

Throughout the hearings, which began last Thursday, they interviewed the Uvalde CISD Superintendent, Robb Elementary School principal, a custodian, a maintenance worker, teachers, DPS troopers, and officers with both Uvalde CISD Police and the city police department.

Their interviews, done in a closed-door session, have come under scrutiny prompting Burrows to defend the process.

"And I'm not telling you this is the perfect way to go about doing it by any stretch of the imagination, but it's the way we know that we feel works, and we believe in it. And it's only to try to get to the bottom of it so I can look you in the eye and tell you, sir, this is what I believe to be true."

The hearings are happening as new details emerge about the police response.

ABC News confirmed from a source this weekend that a Uvalde officer armed with an AR-15 rifle had a chance to shoot the gunman before entering the school but did not open fire out of fears he may injure children.

And the San Antonio Express-News reported that surveillance video suggests officers did not attempt to open the classroom doors where the gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

The newspaper citing a source reported that officers, including Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo, stood in the hallway for more than an hour waiting for a tactical team to arrive as they tested a collection of keys on other doors.

Tuesday's hearing will be held in Austin, where the team will review evidence collected by other law enforcement agencies.

They hope to have the full report on their findings made public soon.

See full coverage: Uvalde school shooting

For more on this story, follow Shelley Childers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.