Uvalde mayor says director of Texas DPS is covering up for shooting response
In an interview aired on Anderson Cooper 360 Tuesday, Mayor Don McLaughlin of Uvalde, Texas, sat down with CNN’s Shimon Prokupecz where he accused the director of the Texas Department of Public Safety, Steve McCraw, of a cover-up over the response to the school shooting that left 19 children and two teachers dead six weeks ago.
McLaughlin began, “It’s a cover up on…” “On DPS?” Prokupecz cut in. “They’re covering up?” “McCraw’s covering up…,” McLaughlin began again before Prokupecz once again interrupted, asking, “For who?” “For maybe his agencies,” McLaughlin answered, “or maybe he told the story he told.” He later added about McCraw, “He’s gonna have to be held accountable when this is all said and done too. We all are. I mean, like I said, your story can’t change on something this horrific four times in three days, and that’s what it’s done.”
While McCraw has pointed the finger at local police, McLaughlin questioned the actions of the DPS.
“When I got to that scene, there were already 30 to 40 DPS officers on the scene,” McLaughlin said. “In the various videos you see from outside, you see DPS officers running around with flak jackets on and ballistic helmets on and different things. That’s video that’s been shown from the outside. But yet, we want to talk about no presence of DPS there in the hallway? I know at one time there were 14 of them in the hallway. Now if they stayed there or not, I can’t tell you because I haven’t seen the video.”
Video Transcript
[MUSIC PLAYING]
DON MCLAUGHLIN: The cover-up on--
SHIMON PROKUPECZ: On DPS? They're covering up?
DON MCLAUGHLIN: McCraw's covering up for--
SHIMON PROKUPECZ: For who?
DON MCLAUGHLIN: For maybe his agencies or, you know, maybe he told the story he told.
KYLIE MAR: Mayor Don McLaughlin of Uvalde, Texas sat down with CNN's Shimon Prokupecz Tuesday, where he accused the Texas Department of Public Safety, specifically director Steve McCraw, of covering up the response to the shooting at Robb Elementary that left 19 children and 2 teachers dead.
DON MCLAUGHLIN: He's going to have to be held accountable when this is all said and done too. We all are. I mean, like I said, I mean, you can't-- your story can't change on something this horrific three times, four times in three days. And that's what it's done.
KYLIE MAR: Questions have been raised about the slow police response to the shooting. While Director McCraw has pointed the finger at local police, McLaughlin questioned the actions of the DPS.
DON MCLAUGHLIN: In the various videos you see from outside, you see DPS officers running around with flak jackets on and ballistic helmets on and different things. That's video that's been shown from the outside, but yet we want to talk about no presence, the DPS there in the hallway? I know at one time, there were 14 of them in the hallway. Now, if they stayed there or not, I can't tell you because I hadn't seen the video.
KYLIE MAR: And though six weeks out, the families of the victims are still waiting for answers. McLaughlin believes the truth will be revealed.
DON MCLAUGHLIN: I think we will get to the truth. I think they put themselves-- backed themselves in a corner and they don't have a way out yet. And they're just trying to figure out, how do you-- because they've released so much BS, in my opinion, that they put themselves in a corner. So how do you come out of the corner?
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