Uvalde families angry over leaked surveillance video from shooting: 'It's disturbing'

UVALDE, Texas (KTRK) -- A leaked video of the police's response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde has garnered criticism - both for the leak and what the video shows.

State Sen. Roland Gutierrez said he doesn't know why or who leaked the surveillance video ahead of its looming release to the victims' families this weekend. He said he heard rumors of it on Tuesday and made calls in an attempt to stop the premature release.

The victims' families said they're upset because they should have been the first people to see the final moments of their children's lives and not the eyes of the world. Some say the video was leaked to journalists in Austin in retaliation.

"We've been asking the DA for this video for a while and she refused to let us see it. So once again, the world got to see it before us. Just like the day of the shooting, when Gov. (Greg) Abbott announced to you all that our children were dead and we had no idea. So it's like reliving that day all over again," Nikki Cross said, whose family member was among the victims killed.

Gutierrez said he did some digging on how this could've happened.

"I did call DPS. I found out that this video had been sent to eight different legislators that had signed non-disclosure agreements. In addition to the two that are on this committee, plus that ex-Supreme Court justice, obviously, the governor's office has it and DPS has it. So, you have a handful of people there that could've divulged this," Gutierrez said. "From those 77 minutes, we see all law enforcement from eight different agencies failing to act on active shooter protocols."

He said the video itself was frustrating to watch. Family members of the victims said they're disturbed by it all.

"It's disturbing to see the way that they took off running from that room. It's cowardly. All those little details in that video are so disturbing," Angel Garza, Amerie Jo Garza's dad, said. "Not even two minutes went by and they were in there after he was. Just to see them, scared, all of them, scared. As soon as they entered that building scared. Can you imagine how the kids felt in that room? Can you imagine how scared they were?"

It's now been seven weeks since 21 innocent people, including 19 children were senselessly massacred at Robb Elementary School. Parents like Kimberly Rubio, the mother of Lexie Rubio, said there are a lot of "what ifs" she thinks about in regards to May 24.

"What if the doors would've just locked properly? The classroom door that the shooter seemed to intentionally seek out, what if police immediately engaged the subject!?" Rubio said.

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