Dominic Smithers
The mayor of Uvlade has slammed the media for releasing the CCTV footage from the recent school shooting.
On 24 May, Salvador Ramos entered Robb Elementary School and murdered 19 children and two teachers during an 80-minute attack.
Since the massacre, police have been criticised for their apparent inaction, despite arriving on the scene within minutes of the 18-year-old opening fire.
Earlier this week, the Austin American-Statesman released surveillance footage from the Texas school, which showed Ramos stalking the corridors and police waiting over an hour to engage the teenager.
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However, Uvalde mayor Don McLaughlin has now come out and branded the outlet 'chickens' for leaking the video, which was reportedly set to be shown to the families of the deceased before being released to the public.
Speaking during a city council meeting, he said: "That was the most chicken way to put this video out today.
"There was no reason for those families to have to see that. They were going to see the video but they didn’t need to see the gunman coming in and hear the gunshots.
"They don’t need to relive that. They’ve been through enough."
Fellow council member, Ernest W. King III, added that he felt it was more than 'chicken', he said it was 'chickens**t'.
A spokesperson for the Austin American-Statesman has responded to the criticism, claiming that the decision to release a heavily edited version of the footage was not taken lightly.
In an article published to its site, the paper says "transparency and unrelenting reporting is a way to bring change".
It reads: "The video that we obtained is one hour and 22 minutes long. It is tragic to listen to and watch. Our decision to publish, along with our news partner, KVUE, comes after long and thoughtful discussions.
"Our editorial process for the video and story also included a thorough legal review. Our goal is to continue to bring to light what happened at Robb Elementary, which the families and friends of the Uvalde victims have long been asking for.
"This tragedy has been further tragic by changing stories, heroic-sounding narratives proven to be false and a delay or in most cases rejection of media requests for public information by law enforcement leaders, public officials and elected leaders.
"But there are also heroes: elected leaders, public officials, law enforcement officers, survivors of the massacre who want the truth out.
"The truth always wins, maybe not on our clock, but the truth always prevails.
"And that is the reason that we publish alongside KVUE."
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677