EXCLUSIVE: New body camera video from Uvalde school tragedy
UVALDE, Texas - Sinclair San Antonio has obtained new body camera video of the Uvalde School Tragedy that has never been seen by the public. The video, given to us by sources, captures troopers talking about the need to confront the shooter, but no one takes steps to do that.
In one of the clips, you see a trooper approaching Sgt. Juan Maldonado, who was recently fired for his actions on May 24th.
"God this is so sad, dude. He shot kids, bro," Sgt. Maldonado can be heard saying on the video.
Comments heard in the video show the fear in troopers and other law enforcement before entering the building.
Officer 1: "Want to jump the f-----g gate or what?"
Officer 2: "What is the safest way to do this? I'm not trying to get clapped out."
Officer 1: "Me neither"
Officer 2: "I called Mike and knows he's SRT. So, I think they got notified so it will be on their way too. But I know that this is like something needs to be done like ASAP. And I also don't like standing right by the windows where we can get shot, bro."
Some of the video is too graphic to air, but we watched several body cam videos to be as transparent as possible. Several troopers had their cameras covered up by bulletproof vests, so you can only hear the audio.
We also showed them to Ari Jimenez, retired Homeland Security Agent in charge and now trains first responders in critical incident management.
Officer: "You're going to put yourself in danger?"
"We know the day that we take that oath that we put on that badge that gun on our hip we know that we are going to put ourselves in danger," says Ari Jimenez.
All throughout the video, you hear troopers acknowledge there are children in with the shooter and that some have been shot.
Officer 1: "There's kids in there?"
Officer 2: "There's kids in there."
More than 40 minutes after the shooter entered the school, officers are still at a loss in the hallway just feet away from school rooms where the shooter is hiding with the children and teachers.
Officer: "Who are we waiting on?"
"At the moment you have those police officers outside the classroom the only thing to save those children the only between bad guy and children, is you the police officer," says Jimenez. "If you do not act people are going to die. You have to act."
Officer: "We cleared this room, correct?"
"This is what happens when teams do not train together, explains Jimenez. "Integrated response... fire, EMS, law enforcement ... this is what saves lives."
Officer 1: "Are they waiting on us?"
Officer 2: "They are waiting on a response team."
Officer 3: "They're already there?"
Officer 2: "I don't hear no one trying to negotiate or anything."
"This was an active shooter event from the beginning to the end. Even when it got quiet for some minutes the shooter shot again. The minute you hear shots fired inside that room there is no more negotiation you have to breach you have to stop him," says Jimenez.
77 minutes after the shooter entered the school, the threat was stopped.
But it was too late.
The Public Safety Commission will meet in Austin to hear the update on the investigation done by DPS. An investigation which has yet to be given to the District Attorney and a grand jury. Until then all officers present that day are still under investigation by the DA’s office.
