'What about the cops?' Uvalde residents fume after city council blames media for releasing surveillance footage

Residents in Uvalde, Texas are not pleased with the city leaders' critical assessment of the media following its decision to release incriminating surveillance footage from the deadly school shooting. Although the mayor and other council members expressed frustration over the early release, Uvalde residents challenged their arguments, citing what appears to be misplaced anger.

The latest criticism follows a city council meeting that took place on Tuesday, July 12 after Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin offered a blistering opinion of the media's early release of the harrowing footage of what transpired at Robb Elementary.

According to McLaughlin, it was “one of the most chicken things” he's ever witnessed. “There’s no reason for the families to have to see that,” McLaughlin said. “I mean, they were going to see the video, but they didn’t need to see the gunman coming in and hear the gunshots. They don’t need to relive that. They’ve been through enough.”

Read more: Leaked video shows Texas law enforcement’s long wait to confront Uvalde school shooter

The frustrated mayor also added that local authorities had already made preparations to share the footage with the families of victims next Sunday. "Whether it was released by the DPS or whoever it was released for, in my opinion, it was very unprofessional, which this investigation has been, since day one," he said, referring to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

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"Rather than attacking the media, y'all should attack those cops," one person said.

Another also challenged council member Ernest King's echoing of the mayor's remarks. "The mayor said it was chicken, it was chicken shit. The way you did it. That part of the video was not supposed to be what they're doing on Sunday."

"That was not supposed to be there," he said. "They did that for ratings, and they did that for money."

In response to his arguments, meeting attendees pushed back. "What about the cops? Were they chicken shit?" one person asked, to which King said, "We're going to handle that."

The man added, "You said that they did their job. Do you still think they did a good job?"

McLaughlin chimed in telling attendees they should "let the investigation come through."

"You're out here attacking the media. You should be attacking the cops," the attendee said.

"Yeah, you should be attacking the cops that did nothing," another attendee said.

McLaughlin responded: "I have said from day one that every agency that was in that hallway has to be held accountable for their actions that day. Everyone. No one will be exempt."

Although city leaders are not pleased, Manny Garcia, executive editor for the American-Statesman, defended the news outlet's decision to release the footage. On Tuesday, he wrote, "Our goal is to continue to bring to light what happened at Robb Elementary, which the families and friends of the Uvalde victims have long been asking for."

Watch the video at this link.