The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has announced safety and security improvements ahead of the upcoming school year, following the school shooting that claimed 21 lives nearly two months ago.
The district announced several projects to upgrade door locks, add security cameras, fencing, and the addition of police and security officers.
Funding for the projects will come from a $1 million donation from the Las Vegas Raiders, according to a press release provided by UCISD.
The announcement comes days after video showing a portion of the active shooting situation was leaked, leading to renewed outrage over the police response during the massacre.
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During a press conference in Houston on Thursday, Governor Greg Abbott was asked when the victim’s families can expect a full account of the police response during the shooting.
“It'll take a while and the reason is because it will require a conclusion of the investigation by the Texas Rangers, FBI, DOJ, DA, as well as by things that are learned by TX House and TX Senate investigations,” said Abbott. “There are a lot of investigations going on and then when you compare the notes from all these different investigations, you will see all the facts come together, and the families will continue to learn more about that, but they need to be able to know all this information.”
The father of at least one of the young victims tells NBC 5, that he is prepared to wait for those answers, but he demands accountability.
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“She was the light of my life,” said Alfred Garza III of his daughter Amerie Jo Garza. “She was a lot like me. She was quick-witted, she always like to laugh. She always liked to play pranks on me and scare me… We were never serious. When she was with daddy, ‘daddy time’ was playtime.”
Losing loved ones is something the 35-year-old has experienced a lot, including the death of his mother.
But this is different.
She was his only child.
There are good days and bad days, he said.
The bad days are a struggle, “Just accepting the fact that I’m never going to see her again. Just glancing at her pictures and like, 'Oh, she’s not here anymore. I’m not going to be able to hold her and kiss her and tell her I love her or text her.'”
The police response continues to draw criticism and outrage from experts and families alike.
This week, video showing a portion of the massacre was published by the Austin American Statesman and KVUE-TV before lawmakers could release it publicly on Sunday and before the victims’ families could watch it first.
The edited video is disturbing and confirms that while officers arrived within minutes of the first shots fired, they retreated and waited for over an hour before taking down the gunman, even as more shots were fired inside the classroom and more heavily armed officers arrived.
During the 77-minutes, several people called 911 begging for help, including Amerie.
Garza says he had a feeling the video would be leaked prematurely.
Asked what he made of what he saw in the video, Garza replied, “The public knows that they took too long. That’s a hands-down no-brainer. We don’t need a thorough investigation or video to prove to know they took too long. We already know that… [but] It’s very upsetting to know that somebody didn’t take the initiative to say, 'Hey, we need to do this right now. We have guns, we have vests, we have shields, we have all these tools, and those kids have nothing.' I don’t know what they could’ve done, but they could’ve done more. Bottom line.”
His biggest question now is who is going to be held accountable.
But he says he’s willing to be patient and wait for a full, detailed report understanding that this tragedy is unlike others.
“Supposedly, they’re going to get a medical team of doctors to examine the severity of the injuries to determine which kids could have been saved in a timely manner, so those things take time. I’m trying to be as patient as I can.”
Time, this grieving father believes, will bring answers and solace.
Asked what he misses most about his little girl, Garza said, “Just that touch. Just her presence, knowing that I’m not going to have her anymore. It’s hard. I miss that, being able to hug her and hold her and just tell her I love her.”
