>> Good Monday morning. This
week is going to be a tough
week for Texas, specifically
for the parents and loved ones
of the 19 children and 2
teachers shot and killed inside
Robb Elementary in Uvalde on
5/24/2022, a gunman walked into
that school with a purpose to
take lives. Nothing can change
what happened to those innocent
children and teachers. Nothing
can compare to the heartbreak.
Those moms and dads, sisters
and brothers feel today.
Nothing can fill the void left
in that community since the
shooting people impacted by
gun violence have joined
lawmakers to rally in support
legislation at the state
Capitol. Parents also say they
are more intentional at saying
see you later as they send
their children off to school,
hoping and praying. It’s not
a goodbye the day of the
shooting. We sent crews to have
all day to gather the
gut-wrenching facts to talk
with neighbors. Teachers and
other people within that
community, a community that
was shook and broken. So if you
know, he to reported live from
outside the school following
the massacre. She’s with us
this morning. Thank you so much
for coming in. This was and
still is a very, very heavy
assignment.
>> For sure That is definitely
the word that comes to mind is
heavy assignment. I would say
probably the most devastating
assignment that I’ve had to.
Cover right to tell the story.
I’m a very important story to
continue to tell and to share
with that in mind. I want to
say, you know, as as heavy as
it was for us to go out there
and shoot assignment and and
be out there with it doing this
It doesn’t compare. It doesn’t
come close to anything that
the families of those victims
felt. I’m still feel and still
feeling right? So we? As soon
as we heard when the first, you
know, when you first hear of
incident happening, you don’t
get all of the information.
The NEWSROOM is slowly starting
to get information that’s
coming into the NEWSROOM.
And we knew we had to go out
there. We knew how to send
crews out there. So everybody’s
kind of scrambling to get ready
to go. And as we’re getting the
news of the numbers, yeah,
right. So the numbers just keep
going up and the end and you’re
thinking this isn’t this isn’t
possible. I mean, just the
numbers keep going up, going
up to more information kept
coming out. I think that that
was just devastating for the
community. When we got to
Uvalde, you write that same
day that he arrived that
evening and then the next
morning as when we were able to
go out to the community and,
you know, speak to neighbors on
the outside of the school.
what if I could describe it,
the grief, the sadness, the
fear, the uncertainty, all of
the emotions, all of the
feelings when you got it to the
school and you got to the
community it’s palpable it was
overwhelming. so going back
after a year, looking back.
I spoke with a mother who she
started a group called the
surviving parents of Southeast
Texas with another mother who
lost children to gun violence.
And so she was also there in
Uvalde the first day that she
heard they traveled there to
meet with families and to offer
their support. So I spoke with
her recently and she shared,
you know, even after year, this
kind of this kind of grief,
this kind of lost it. It
doesn’t. It doesn’t change.
It doesn’t go away at all.
It doesn’t.
You learn to live with it.
You try to learn to live with
that. She says. And she’s also
a grief coach. So she spoke
about trying to teach families
who have lost children to this
type of that there that there
is room for the grief to
coincide with help. That’s
powerful. So shoot we her sound
bite here.
>> At most about great to know
and I want you to know days
a place.
That they can go to in May that
they going to be able to find
will not get that cop coaching
with them and visit. In some
point today, Curry, a place
When could this will pay?
And that is a hot place to get
to. When you go in to what
we’ve gone through. But it is
the place that you can come
to. You have the tools and
materials that can help you
get to that place.
>> And she was just so
inspiring. We will have more
with Timmy, Trisha, coming up
as we were heading to Uvalde, I
will be there on Wednesday
morning. So we’ll hear more
from her but also going into
The police response. You know,
there are so many questions.
There were so many things that
were not die on that later on.
We found the things,
you know, weren’t true in the
in the first couple hours, we
had all these reports about.
You know, an officer did go in
or did not go in and that sort
of thing. So there’s a lot of
questions that were asked about
the response, the timeline.
And so since that I also
interviewed here at home.
Our District, Houston and their
police department.
You know, have have things
change. What are they doing?
spoke with the commander there
and there is added training for
teachers and staff. 2 be ready.
If there are ever faced with
this type of situation.
>> All threats are taken
seriously known. Threats are
investigated and that can
encompass police Once we know
the student who has the to
verbalize posted a threat
making a home visit to
ascertain whether or not the
student has the means to carry
out that threat. All weapons
available, all accessible to
the student that in that home
investigation also obviously
list a parent be aware of what
was no posted are verbalize.
>> We will be heading We’re
leaving tomorrow will be there
on Wednesday. We do know that
all the events canceled in all
the events in Uvalde any there
are no events other than
there’s going to be a vigil
to honor all of the victims
the city of Uvalde is asking
everyone to respect the
family’s so we will be there.
To honor the obviously not
going to.
Try to talk to your family’s,
been serving the such a
difficult time.
>> I remember I had COVID that
weekend. So I was not working.
And I remember watching that
day.
And one of the network’s
breaking into coverage and
again, it is a fluid situation
and then, you know, someone was
wasn’t true and then it was
true. And then we watch those
numbers just continue to climb.
And I remember that morning the
next morning you were there.
you are very emotional, even
on air. It really got to you
and these are the types of
assignments that you never want
to cover it. It’s it’s why we
get into journalism. But it’s
it’s the hope that we never
have to be part of an
assignment like this. And I
know just walking in talking
with you today. This is still
something that is extremely
hard. It is for you as as as
a person in this community,
but also yes. So I think that
especially parents, especially.
>> Parents of kids in schools
that are going to elementary
school, middle school high
school. That is always on your heart, especially when you’re
heart, especially when you’re
there and you’re and you’re
seeing that. So I do. I do app.
Gosh, I think about it almost
every day. It stays with you.
And I think that people who
why even watching the that day
and we take you there, right?
We yeah, we take you inside
and and try to show you exactly
what it is and what people are
saying and feeling that’s our
job. And it is difficult to
keep yourself kind of out of
that.
Brown. So it’s it’s a it’s a
balance. But as a mom of a 2
elementary school-age kids, it
was very difficult. I got very
emotional because you always
think about that. She this
grief coach said to us, you,
you just never know. You never
know
>> even at schools where that
supposed to be the safest place
for your child right?
>> Right. So this is a topic
that everybody is obviously
concerned about. And always
thinking about, I think,
especially if you’re a parent
for sure.
>> This is your first time back
since. Yes, this will be the
first time back. I was there
when school started in the fall
2 months after this. And
it was robbed and it’s still
raw now one year later. Yeah.
And so on. I know you’ll do an
amazing job for us out there.
I know it’s going to be a
really tough assignment, but we
do appreciate it. I I do look
forward to it because it’s an
important story to tell.
Right. And and these are the