UVALDE, Texas — A special Texas House Investigative Committee into the Robb Elementary School shooting kicked off its probe Thursday, but Texans will be left in the dark for now as to the list of specific witnesses and the details of their testimony.
Chairman Dustin Burrows, a Republican state representative from Lubbock, cited the “quasi-judicial nature” of the investigation as a reason for the private testimony. Under House rules, examination of witnesses is allowed behind closed doors.
Before the committee broke into an executive session, members pledged to find answers and cut through the conflicting official information given so far.
“This committee will do everything in its power to get to the bottom of this matter,” Burrows said.
“The people of Texas deserve answers, the families deserve answers,” added Eva Guzman, a former Texas Supreme Court justice appointed to the committee.
Vice Chair Joe Moody, a Democrat state representative from El Paso, said the emotions of the 2019 mass shooting at a Walmart in his district are “still very raw.” He called the gun violence an “epidemic and an emergency,” and pledged to make policy changes and solutions going forward.
“What we can’t accept is a do-nothing attitude, failing to tackle these issues because they are difficult or politically uncomfortable is cowardly and morally wrong,” Moody said.
After spending several hours behind closed doors, Chairman Burrows said the committee received a briefing from the Texas Department of Public Safety, but he did not reveal who testified. DPS Director Colonel Steven McCraw was in the hearing room but it’s unclear if he was questioned Thursday. McCraw previously said it was “the wrong decision” for law enforcement to wait more than an hour to enter the school, while students inside were calling 9-1-1 for help.
Burrows defended the committee’s decision to hear testimony away from the public eye, in an effort to be thorough and accurate.
“I think every member of the committee obviously feels there’s a need for transparency and would love to begin discussing what we’ve learned today, what we continue to learn, but there also is a respect for the process,” Burrows said.
“There has been a lot of misinformation, or half-information that has gotten out, I feel that has led to some confusion, around the state,” he said.
Burrows said the committee would meet next week but did not provide a specific date.