‘I don’t want to die’: Newly released 911 calls from inside Uvalde school massacre
Newly released 911 calls and bodycam footage from May 24, 2022, in Uvalde, Texas, shows the scene of the mass school shooting that resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. There was a lengthy legal battle between news organizations and Uvalde officials over the public release of more information from that day.
The media argued that the public deserved to see more as it searched for answers and accountability for what has been described as a “botched” police response. The shooter locked himself in a classroom for more than an hour before officers confronted and killed him.
The new recordings started with the voice of 10-year-old Khloie Torres, who survived the shooting. She called 911 from her classroom, pleading for help.
“I’m in classroom 112, 112, 112 yes ma’am,” Torres said. “Please hurry, there’s a lot of dead bodies… please help, I don’t want to die. My teacher is dead. Oh my God.”
“One of my teachers is dead, miss. (Student in background cries) Be quiet!” Torres continued.
While Torres was inside the classroom, law enforcement was outside. Video shows teachers fearfully being evacuated as officers cleared classrooms and communicated with each other as events unfolded.
Along with the newly released 911 audio and footage, text communications between officers following the shooting were also part of the latest release of information. Many officers expressed fear for their safety as community anger and national frustrations were directed at them in the aftermath.
Former Uvalde school police chief Pete Arredondo has been indicted and arrested on counts of child endangerment and criminal negligence for failing to take proper action during the active shooter situation. However, Arredondo recently told CNN that he believes he is being made a scapegoat for the tragedy.
“I went in there right away with the first officers,” Arredondo said. “And just so you know, I never had a vest on and didn’t even think about that.”
“Do you feel like you guys are being singled out, scapegoated?” Ed Lavandera, a CNN reporter, said.
“By all means,” Arredondo said. “Since the very beginning, sir. I’ve been scapegoated from the very beginning.”
One other school officer is also facing criminal charges. Some victims’ families are calling for additional officers to be charged and have filed lawsuits.
A Justice Department review found that the police response that day was “riddled with failures,” while a report commissioned by the city defended its local police’s response to the mass shooting.
Utah schools spending $72M in upgrades amid rise in school shootings
Utah schools are receiving $72 million in state funding to upgrade their buildings and security systems amid a rise in the number of school shootings across the country in recent years. According to a CNN analysis, there were a record 82 incidents in 2023, up from 79 and 73 in the two previous years.
According to a Pew Research study, about 1 in 4 U.S. teachers said their school went into a gun-related lockdown during the 2022-2023 school year. A majority of teachers, 59%, said they are somewhat worried about the possibility of a shooting happening at their school.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, traditional schools received 70% of the $72 million and charter schools got the remaining 30%.
One public school district, Davis School District, received grants for 69 of its 92 schools in the form of $4.6 million.
A district spokesperson said they requested bulletproof window film and intercom system upgrades, which can be implemented quickly.
The Pew survey found about 4 in 10 teachers said their school has done a fair or poor job providing them with the training and resources they need to deal with a potential active shooter. These Utah school districts are hoping the funding and their school upgrades will give them added protection in case of an emergency.
NY bans graphic active shooter drills as parents say they’re traumatizing students
New York, which is home to the United States’ largest school district, is banning the use of realistic active shooter drills in all schools in the state. The New York State Board of Regents approved the change on Thursday, July 11.
The new rules will begin this school year and the board unanimously approved them. Schools now cannot use actors, props and violent depictions during school shooting drills. Instead, schools will be required to use only “trauma informed” and “age appropriate” procedures. Additionally, parents will have to be notified of the drills one week in advance.
The move follows years of complaints from parents. Parents, activists, doctors and lawmakers claimed the graphically detailed drills traumatize children and do not actually prepare them for such events. Instead, they said, the drills create a culture of fear and anxiety among students.
In one case, a parent reportedly complained that their child came home and began locking doors and windows in response to an active shooter drill at their school. In another instance, a five-year-old asked their parent what a “bullet can do to a body.”
Parents said that these incidents show that students’ focus are turning from learning to concerns about violence. However, in reality, the likelihood of being in a school shooting still remains very rare.
Data from Everytown for Gun Safety reveals that less than 1% of gun deaths annually are from school shootings. However, gun control advocates point out that gun violence remains a problem at schools. Everytown for Gun Safety also showed that there have been 118 incidents of gunfire on U.S. school grounds this year so far.
Meanwhile, Stella Kaye, a 17-year-old, who survived two school shootings, said that the realistic active shooter drills do not really prepare students for the actual shootings. Kaye also said she supports the change coming to New York schools.
The New York State Legislature is also looking to reduce the number of mandatory lockdown drills in schools, from eight to four each year and to reduce evacuation drills from four to two annually.
Advocates for the changes argued that the better solution for school safety is to train staff on how to respond to active shooter situations and other safety measures such as locks on doors and windows in classrooms.
Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate
The first presidential debate is in the books. We have a full recap, as well as what the reaction has been like. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Friday, June 28, 2024.
Biden, Trump tout their records in first presidential debate
Per CNN’s rules, there was no live audience and the candidate’s mics were muted when the other one talked. But that did not stop both from firing back at one another while discussing topics like the economy, abortion, immigration, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, and their overall aptitude.
Thursday’s debate began with the presumptive nominees walking on stage, forgoing the traditional handshake.
The first topic was on the economy, with Biden focusing on Trump’s record as president, but seeming to lose his train of thought as his response went on.
“We’d be able to help make sure that all those things we need to do — childcare, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system, making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do — with the COVID — excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look…we finally beat Medicare,” Biden said.
When it came to immigration, Trump highlighted the crisis on the border, calling the Biden administration’s recent legislation limiting asylum access a “nothing deal” and “insignificant.”
“He decided to open up our border, open up our country too,” Trump said. “People that are from prisons, people that are from mental institutions, insane asylum, terrorists. We have the largest number of terrorists coming into our country right now. All terrorists, all over the world, not just in South America, all over the world. They come from the Middle East, everywhere, all over the world. They’re pouring in.”
President Biden fired back, “I’m not saying that no terrorist ever got through but the idea they’re emptying their prisons, where we’re welcoming these people, that’s simply not true, there’s no data to support what he said. Once again, he’s exaggerating. He’s lying.”
On the subject of abortion, Trump commended the Supreme Court for overturning Roe v. Wade while Biden vowed to reinstate it.
“You had Roe v. Wade, and everybody wanted to get it back to the states,” Trump said. “Everybody without exception — Democrats, Republicans, Liberals, conservatives. What happened is we brought it back to the states and the country is now coming together on this issue. It’s been a great thing.”
“It’s been a terrible thing once you’re done,” President Biden rebutted. “The fact is that the vast majority of constitutional scholars supported Roe was decided support it Roe that was this idea that they were all against it. It just ridiculous.”
As for American veterans, Trump claimed he took care of them during his presidency, as Biden took exception to reported comments made by Trump — which the former president denies.
“Our veterans are on the street,” Trump said. “They’re dying because he doesn’t care about our veterans. He doesn’t like the military at all, and he doesn’t care about our veterans. Nobody been worse. I had the highest approval rating for veterans taking care of the VA he has the worst he’s gotten rid of all the things that I approved.”
Biden responded, “I was recently in France for D-Day and I spoke at all about those heroes had died. I went to the World War II cemetery, World War I cemetery, refused to go to he was standing with his four-star general and he told me said, ‘I don’t want to go in there because they’re bunch of losers and suckers.’ My son was not a loser, was not a sucker. You’re the sucker. You’re the loser.”
Trump denied Biden’s claim, calling that a “made-up quote.”
On foreign policy, Trump argued Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan showed America was weak and inspired Russian President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine. Biden called that “malarkey” and warned that Putin must be stopped.
To the war in Gaza, Trump said, “Let Israel finish the job.” Biden remarked that the U.S. is providing Israel with “all the weapons they need and when they need them.”
And while hearing the difference in policies was the goal of the debate, the two presidential candidates did not hold back on personal attacks.
“The only person on this stage who’s a convicted felon is the man I’m looking at right now,” Biden said. “And the fact of the matter is he is what he’s telling you is simply not true.”
Trump responded, “When he talks about a convicted felon, his son as a convicted felon at a very high level, his son has convicted going to be convicted probably numerous other times should have been convicted before, but his justice department let the statute of limitations laps. And the most important things. But he could be a convicted felon as soon as he gets out of office, you could be a convicted felon with all of the things that he’s done.”
When discussing their abilities to handle the presidency at their respective ages — Biden 81 years old and Trump 78 — the two began arguing over their golf game.
As the debate ended, Trump said he would accept the results of the election if it’s “a fair and legal and good election.” In his closing statements, Trump said America is a failing nation under Biden and he’ll make it great again in a second term. Biden, meanwhile, said he made significant progress after what he called was a debacle left by Trump.
The two are set to debate again in September.
Reports: Some Democrats calling for Biden to step aside after debate
The response to the first presidential debate has been swift on both sides. Fact checkers have issued corrections for statements made by both candidates, but it’s President Biden’s performance getting the most attention.
News outlets in their recaps of the debate describe Biden as stumbling and seeming to ramble during his responses. The Biden campaign acknowledged the president came into the debate with a cold, admitting he had a slow start. Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on news programs following the debate to vouch for the president.
At one point, former President Trump questioned whether Biden understood his own response to a question on the border.
Trump replied, “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.”
David Axelrod, a top adviser to former President Barack Obama, spoke of the concerns from Democrats during CNN’s post-debate coverage.
“There is a sense of shock at how he came out at the beginning of this debate,” Axelrod said. “How his voice sounded; he seemed a little disoriented. There are going to be discussions about whether he should continue.”
The Trump campaign declared victory after the debate, issuing a statement saying Biden was unable to defend his “disastrous record on the economy and the border.”
Former Uvalde schools police chief facing charges in deadly shooting
In a historic move, the former Uvalde school police chief has been indicted over his role in the slow police response to the 2022 mass shooting at a Texas elementary school that left 19 children and two teachers dead. Former Uvalde School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo was indicted by a grand jury on 10 counts of felony child endangerment or abandonment.
He was briefly booked into the county jail before he was released on bond Thursday, June 27.
A former school officer at Robb Elementary was also indicted on similar charges.
More than two years later, they’re the first officers to face criminal charges in one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history.
Earlier this year, the Justice Department released a report that said law enforcement officers had many opportunities to reassess their response.
More than 300 law enforcement officers responded to the school that day, some waiting in the hallway outside the classroom, even as the shooter could be heard firing shots inside. It took them 77 minutes to shoot him and put an end to the killing.
Oklahoma’s top educator orders the Bible be taught in schools
Oklahoma’s top education officials have ordered schools to teach the Bible and have a copy in every classroom. In a memo, the state superintendent of public schools said effective immediately, the Bible must be added as part of the curriculum in grades five through 12.
The directive was immediately condemned by civil rights groups and supporters of the separation of church and state, with some calling it an abuse of power and a violation of the Constitution.
Oklahoma law already explicitly allows Bibles in the classroom and lets teachers use them in instruction. It’s not clear if the state has the authority to mandate that schools teach it.
This is the latest church versus state case in public schools. On June 19, a Louisiana law was passed requiring the Ten Commandments be shown in all public school classrooms, another action civil rights groups are looking to stop.
NFL fined $4.7 billion in ‘Sunday Ticket’ anti-trust case
The NFL has been ordered to pay nearly $5 billion in damages after a jury found it broke anti-trust laws. The jury said the league conspired with DirecTV and network partners to increase the price of the exclusive “Sunday Ticket” package.
The lawsuit claimed the NFL broke antitrust laws by selling its “Sunday Ticket” package at an inflated price and restricted competition by only offering it on a satellite provider.
FBI: Active shooter incidents down 4% last year, up 89% over past 5 years
The FBI has released the annual active shooter report. The report found that 2023 saw fewer active shooting incidents than 2022, leading to a 4% decrease. However, over the last five years, active shooter incidents have gone up 89%, according to the FBI.
The FBI defines “active shooter” as one or more individuals actively engaged in killing or attempting to kill people in a populated area.
Though active shootings went down 4% from 2022 to 2023, that change is not a large one. There were just two fewer active shooter incidents in 2023 (48) than there were in 2022 (50).
Over the last five years, the FBI said there were 229 active shootings across the U.S., which is up 89% from the 121 active shootings in the five years between 2014 and 2018.
In 2023, 449 people were killed and 773 were wounded in the 48 active shootings.
More people died because of an active shooting incident in the last five years than the five years between 2014 and 2018, which included three of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
Last year alone, 105 people were killed in active shootings and another 139 were hurt.
The shootings happened in 26 states. California had the most with eight, followed by Texas and Washington with four each.
The FBI’s report came just weeks after the federal government released preliminary numbers showing a 15% drop in violent crime during the first quarter of 2024 compared to last year.
Survey: Texas promised armed guards at every school, most don’t have them
In 2022, a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 kids and two teachers. State lawmakers said they were committed to never letting it happen again. Last year, the Texas Legislature passed a law that in part required an armed officer at every public school in the state. On Thursday, June 13, a Hearst Newspapers analysis found that nine months after the law was passed, most of the schools in the state have not implemented the requirement.
The survey found that of 100 random school districts around Texas, 52 had adopted an exemption in the law to avoid the armed guard requirement known as the “Good Cause Exception,” which allows for a district to opt-out of the requirement if it lacked funding or personnel.
Some district leaders that didn’t adopt the requirement claim that lawmakers did not provide enough money to offset the costs of the added security measures.
One superintendent noted that the cost to hire an officer cost his district $80,000 while the state only gave the district $18,500 to cover the added security expense.
Meanwhile, some districts that complied with the law are now in debt because of the added requirement and others have had to raise money to hire security locally. Several district leaders said that they were already struggling financially because of stagnant funding and inflation.
State Sen. Robert Nichols, R, who helped pass the legislation, admits that lawmakers “set a standard that is not attainable.” However, he blamed the problem on the lack of police officers in the state. Still, he thinks the law is progress.
“I think this was a success because it spurred some districts to hire additional security, even if most weren’t in full compliance.”
When asked about those who used the Good Cause Exclusion, he said, “What would you do? Shut down those campuses and not educate the kids?”
Under the exemption, school districts must still adopt alternative plans, like rotating officers between campuses or showing intent to hire more officers. Another option is to train and arm school staff, which some school districts have done.
Despite the lack of compliance with armed guards, even if all districts did have armed officers, the data is inconclusive. School safety experts said that there is no comprehensive research on whether or not armed guards prevent or minimize school shootings.
Graduation day is bittersweet for Sandy Hook shooting survivors
Graduation day is bittersweet for high school seniors and their families everywhere, but perhaps more so for a group of students walking the stage Wednesday, June 12, in Newtown, Connecticut. While 330 students are graduating high school there, 350 names will be read out because of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
The 20 extra names will be those of the students whose lives were taken too soon on a December day in 2012 at Sandy Hook Elementary School. That’s when a gunman went into two first-grade classrooms and opened fire, killing 20 students and six educators.
Ahead of their graduation, survivors of that day reflected.
“The what-ifs kind of spoil a lot of precious moments, you know, just because you always remember that they’re not there,” Ella Seaver said. “So, even going to prom, you think, ‘Well, what if they were my prom date?’ Or, you know, ‘What if they were my significant other? What if they were able to walk the stage with me. Who would I still be friends with now?’”
The children who survived the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, will be graduating high school with mixed emotions.
— Newtown Action Alliance (@NewtownAction) June 11, 2024
The class of 2024 is wearing green and white ribbons on their graduation gowns that say “forever in our hearts” as another way to memorialize their classmates who never got to make it to this milestone. However, that’s not all they’re doing.
A group of seniors who survived the shooting have been active in the Junior Newtown Action Alliance’s efforts to end gun violence — even taking part in a rally on Friday, June 7, just days ahead of walking the stage.
“I wanted to turn such a terrible thing into something more, and that these children and educators didn’t die for nothing,” survivor Lilly Wasilnak said. “Of course it was awful what happened to them, and it should have never happened. But I think that for me, something bigger needed to come out of it, or else it would have been all for nothing.”
Uvalde to pay $2 million to families of victims of Robb Elementary shooting
The families of victims of the Robb Elementary School mass shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers have been awarded $2 million from the city of Uvalde, Texas. The settlement comes nearly two years to the day that a gunman opened fire at the Uvalde elementary school on May 24, 2022.
The $2 million paid out to families comes after heavy criticism of responding officers, who reportedly waited 77 minutes before entering the school and eventually killing the gunman. During the press conference on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, the attorney representing the families criticized the lack of punishment for any police officers.
“Had the law enforcement agencies followed generally accepted practices… lives would have been saved and people would have survived,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said to reporters at the time.
The money from the city will now go to families of 17 of the children killed and two who survived. The city has also agreed to enhance officer training and mental health services for families, victims and residents. In addition, Uvalde will create a memorial with the help of the families and a day of recognition for the victims.
“Pursuing further legal action against the City could have plunged Uvalde into bankruptcy, something that none of the families, were interested in as they look for the community to heal,” the families’ attorneys said in a statement.
Police move in on UCLA protesters, call encampment an ‘unlawful gathering’
Officers move in on the campus of UCLA with the Los Angeles Police Department calling the pro-Palestinian encampment an “unlawful gathering.” Arizona lawmakers vote to repeal a Civil War-era abortion ban. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, May 2, 2024.
Police clash with UCLA protesters, call encampment an ‘unlawful gathering’
Police officers began clearing the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus of UCLA early Thursday morning. Officers in riot gear could be seen arresting some of the protesters following a standoff overnight.
Chants of “peaceful protest” contrast with images of police clashing with demonstrators at UCLA. Overnight, the LAPD declared the pro-Palestinian encampment on the campus an “unlawful gathering” and ordered the protesters to leave.
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Protesters defied those orders, and police were seen entering the encampment Thursday morning. Reports indicate that officers pulled back shortly after scuffling with some of the protesters before they started to dismantle the barricades.
Those in the encampment were heard chanting, “We’re not leaving!”
UCLA has been broadcasting a message telling the protesters to disperse or face administrative action. The school announced classes would be remote May 2 and May 3.
Due to distress following the violence on Royce Quad & ongoing tension regarding campus demonstrations, UCLA First Thursdays, on May 2, has been canceled. We must all protect the wellbeing of our peers & maintain a safe learning environment. https://t.co/X91FIH8vWKpic.twitter.com/HzT8rIeAfY
Similar scenes are unfolding at other college campuses across the country, with police arresting multiple people Wednesday, including 90 at Dartmouth College and at least 15 at Fordham University.
Arizona Senate votes to repeal 1864 near-total abortion ban
Arizona’s GOP-led Senate has voted to repeal a Civil War-era abortion ban, following a successful vote in the state House. The measure was supported by two Republican senators and all Democrats.
This move comes after the Arizona Supreme Court recently ruled the 1864 ban enforceable, overriding a 15-week abortion restriction enacted in 2022.
The repeal will take effect 90 days after the current legislative session ends.
The repeal bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs for approval. If signed into law, Arizona’s main abortion regulation would be the 2022 statute that bans the procedure after 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Police fatally shoot armed student outside Wisconsin middle school
The reports prompted an immediate lockdown and a safety sweep of Mount Horeb Middle School. Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, D, reported that no other injuries occurred during the incident.
“Police officers from the Mount Horeb Police Department responded to a report of an individual with a weapon outside the middle school,” Kaul stated. “Police officers responded to that threat and they used deadly force. This incident took place outdoors. The subject in this case never gained entry to the school building during the incident, and the subject was a student in the Mount Horeb School District.”
Kaul was unable to confirm whether any shots were fired by the suspect. He also noted that the investigation is still active and some officers involved will be placed on administrative leave.
The school district superintendent announced that the schools would remain open for those seeking support in the aftermath, with plans to resume classes soon.
NY prosecutors seek a fall retrial for Harvey Weinstein
Prosecutors in New York are planning to retry former Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein this fall after an appeals court overturned his 2020 rape conviction last week. During a hearing Wednesday, May 1, the judge did not set an exact date but indicated that he expects the new trial to begin after the Labor Day holiday in September.
Weinstein, who appeared in a wheelchair for his first court appearance since his New York conviction was overturned, had been serving a 23-year sentence. He also faces a 16-year sentence for a rape conviction in California, which his attorneys say they plan to appeal this month.
The New York judge remanded Weinstein back to Bellevue Hospital where the 72-year-old former movie mogul has been receiving treatment since last Friday.
The next hearing in this case is scheduled for May 29.
Reports: Exxon reaches agreement with FTC over $60 billion Pioneer merger
Federal antitrust regulators will not block the largest oil and gas deal in two decades after Exxon agreed to exclude former Pioneer Chief Executive Officer Scott Sheffield from its board of directors, according to multiple reports.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the FTC will allege as soon as this week that Sheffield engaged in collusive activity with OPEC representatives, which could have raised gas prices for Americans.
Once the agreement is filed, the acquisition could close within days, marking the biggest deal for Exxon since it merged with Mobil in the late 1990s.
Walt Disney World to host painting collection by former President George W. Bush
Walt Disney World is set to host an art exhibit featuring dozens of portraits of service members and veterans, all painted by former President George W. Bush.
Ohio buying ‘shoot houses’ to train armed school staff for active shooters
Nearly 200 school shootings have resulted in injury or death in the U.S. since 2018, prompting Ohio’s Department of Public Safety to equip school staff with specialized firearms training. Advocates believe the training will enhance schools’ ability to protect students during shootings. The state recently started providing close-quarters firearms training for public school staff.
In 2022, Ohio passed legislation allowing school personnel to carry firearms in classrooms after completing 24 hours of instruction and at least four hours of scenario-based or simulated training exercises. Previously, the state required staff to complete the same 700 hours of firearms training as law enforcement or security officers to carry within a school.
The Ohio Mobile Training Team, responsible for training armed school staff, requested $78,000 from the state for two custom “mobile modular shoot houses” for initial and annual recertification training. Training groups can use the units outside on live fire ranges and indoors with simulation rounds. These units aim to realistically simulate active shooter scenarios in school settings.
“The more realistic we can make the training, the better prepared armed school staff will be to respond to an active shooter,” Carey said.
However, a recent Gallup poll shows that 73% of teachers oppose carrying guns in schools. 58% said they believe it would make schools less safe. Only 18% of teachers polled were willing to carry a firearm in school buildings. Currently, 67 school districts, mostly in rural areas with slower law enforcement response times, allow staff to carry firearms.
The purchase of the shoot houses has not been finalized yet. Carey mentioned that the units could be incorporated into teacher firearm training as early as this summer.