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'I don't want to die' | Uvalde student's pleas for help during mass shooting part of trove of newly released recordings

911 calls, along with body cam video and text messages, were included in massive collection of documents released by Uvalde officials after long legal battle.

KHOU 11 News continues poring over more than 21 gigabytes of newly released documents, 911 calls, video and text messages that capture every moment of the school attack on Robb Elementary in 2022. The shooting left 19 students and two teachers dead. 

This release comes as part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by media organizations, including TEGNA stations KHOU 11 in Houston, WFAA in Dallas-Fort Worth, KENS 5 in San Antonio, KVUE in Austin, KCEN in Waco, KBMT in Beaumont, KYTX in Tyler, KIII in Corpus Christi, KWES in Midland-Odessa, KIDY/KXVA in Abilene-San Angelo and KAGS in College Station.

The massive amount of material provides a better picture of that tragic day in May 2022. It highlights a chaotic response by law enforcement and the horror so many, mainly children, went through that day. 

Among the nearly 600 items release are revealing new 911 calls from witnesses who first saw the shooter crash his truck near Robb Elementary. 

RELATED: Public records released by City of Uvalde in Robb Elementary mass shooting paint detailed picture of chaos, terror

RELATED: City of Uvalde releases public records from Robb Elementary mass shooting in settlement with TEGNA Texas stations, other media outlets

"Oh my God, he has a gun," the witness tells the dispatcher. "Oh my God these kids. He's going to the school. They got to hurry."

As law enforcement began to descend on the school, frantic calls for help kept coming in. 

"He's inside the school shooting at the kids," another caller screams to dispatchers. 

Teachers in nearby classrooms hid and dialed 911. 

"I can hear gunshots out of my classroom," said one teacher in room 102. "Somebody is shot in another classroom. I gotta go. I can't him hear me. Hurry, hurry, hurry."

Just around the corner another teacher huddled in a closet hears voices in the hallway. 

"There's somebody outside my door," she tells dispatchers. 

That call came in just as the first officers stormed into the building, only to retreat one minute later when they took fire. UCISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo on the other end of the hallway had to use his cell phone to call in help. 

"I'm inside the building with this man," Arredondo said on the call. "He has an AR-15. He shot a whole bunch of times. He is in one room. I need a lot of firepower. I need some more firepower in here because we all have pistols and this guy's got a rifle. I don't have a radio."

As officers kept waiting to move in, a child called for help.

"There's a lot of dead bodies," said the 4th grader. "I don't want to die. My teacher is dead. Please send help."

In all, officers waited 77 minutes to move in. And now new body cam video shows the moment they finally stormed the classroom and the disturbing chaos they found inside. 

"Bring me the children," officers shout on the body cam. 

Shortly after that, dispatchers received a call from the shooter's uncle, desperate to intervene, but it was far too late. 

"Can I please go talk him down please ma'am?" said the shooter's uncle. "He does listen to me. Everything I tell him, he does listen to me. Maybe he could stand down or turn himself in."

The shooter's cousin we've also learned also calling 911, fearing they could have been next. 

"The active shooter's my cousin and I don't want him to come to my house," The shooter's cousin told dispatchers. 

Also in the items released are revealing text messages in the days after the shooting that reveal how concerned officers were about their own safety and the multiple threats that were coming in against them as community anger and questions started to mount over why victims were left with the gunman for more than an hour.

Now two years since the shooting, Uvalde students headed back to class Monday morning. The fourth graders killed would have been starting seventh grade.



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