On Sunday, Texas lawmakers will release video footage of the May 24 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, an incident which resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two adults.
The Tuesday announcement came from state Republican Rep. Dustin Burrows, who said officials are ready to present the captured footage to the public.
"The [state House of Representatives] committee will convene at 2 p.m. Sunday [Central Time] in Uvalde," wrote Burrows, who's also the group chairman. "We will meet with members of the community first, and provide them an opportunity to see the hallway video and discuss our preliminary report. Very soon thereafter, we will release both to the public."
Texas officials had been torn on whether to release the footage, which reportedly shows a hallway in the school — but does not include video of any violence or victims of the shooting.
The 77-minute video reportedly covers the arrival of suspected gunman Salvador Ramos, and extends all the way to Uvalde police entering the classrooms of Robb Elementary, where Ramos allegedly carried out the deadly attack.
Uvalde police officials have endured heavy criticism from parents, media, and the public, at large, for their response to the shooting. Officers reportedly waited more than one hour at the school before engaging the gunman.
At the forefront of the backlash, Uvalde Consolodated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo ended up resigning from the Uvalde City Council on July 2 — just weeks after being sworn in to the new position.
"We feel strongly that members of the Uvalde community should have the opportunity to see the video and hear from us before they are made public," said Burrows on Tuesday, regarding the decision to preview the Robb Elementary footage with Uvalde residents, before releasing the film to a wider audience.
On Monday, Burrows tweeted out: "It is my intention to show the hallway video to the people of Uvalde, regardless of any agreement. I will not release it to the public until the people of Uvalde have seen it for themselves."
Also, Burrows shared a letter from the Texas Department of Public Safety on Friday, saying that while public viewing of the hallway video would not harm its investigation, Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell Busbee still recommended the department not release the footage.