$175K anonymous donation to pay for Uvalde funeral services

UVALDE, Texas (KXAN) — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said he is “livid” after he said he received misinformation about the events leading up to the deadly mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.

“Short answer. Yes, I was misled. I am livid about what happened,” Abbott said. “I was on this very stage, and I was telling the public what had been told to me. I wrote down hand notes in detail what everybody in that room told me. The information I was given turned out, in part, to be inaccurate, and I’m absolutely livid about that. My expectation is that the law enforcement leaders that are leading the investigation… they get to the bottom of every fact with absolute certainty.”

Abbott stated incorrectly Wednesday the shooter encountered a Uvalde CISD officer as he was entering the school. Victor Escalon, the Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director, clarified Thursday the gunman did not come across a school officer before he walked “unobstructed” through a door that appeared to be unlocked.

The shooter, an 18-year-old from Uvalde, killed 19 children and two teachers when he entered Robb Elementary School through a propped open door Tuesday morning. The gunman was carrying a rifle and a backpack of ammunition. Officials believe he fired over 100 rounds.

Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw said Friday officers responding to the shooter made the wrong decision when they waited for a tactical team to enter the classroom.

McCraw said officers at the school believed the situation had transitioned from an active shooter to a barricaded person situation. Public safety officials revealed responding officers made no attempts to breach the classroom to rescue the children inside for about an hour.

“Why did they not choose the strategy that would have been best to get in there and eliminate the killer and rescue the children?” Abbott said Friday.

Uvalde families affected by the deadly shooting will have funeral expenses paid for by an anonymous donation, Abbott said at the beginning of Friday’s press conference. He said an anonymous donor came forward with $175,000 for funeral services.

The governor was joined by local officials and state agency representatives.

Abbott added “all options are on the table” when asked if he has considered calling a special legislative session in the aftermath of Tuesday’s shooting.

“Do we expect laws to come out of this devastating crime? Absolutely yes,” Abbott said. “There will be laws in multiple different subject areas. For example, I do fully expect every law that we passed in the aftermath of the Santa Fe shooting to be completely revisited.”

Texas State Sen. Roland Gutierrez, a Democrat whose district includes Uvalde, interrupted Abbott’s press conference, in a similar fashion to Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke’s display Wednesday, calling on Abbott to call the special session.

“My colleagues are asking for a special session. You’re getting a letter tomorrow. I’m asking you now to bring us back,” Texas State Sen. Roland Guitierrez said at the foot of the stage in front of Abbott.