Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.
The Texas Tribune is collaborating with Frontline and Futuro Investigates on a documentary about last year’s school shooting in Uvalde. “After Uvalde: Guns, Grief & Texas Politics,” premieres May 30 on PBS stations nationally. It will also be available to stream on pbs.org/frontline and texastribune.org.
The documentary follows journalist María Hinojosa as she examines the aftermath of the deadliest school shooting in Texas history. It tells the story of how some grieving families have pushed to raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic weapons in Texas and pulls from the Tribune’s original reporting on what happened inside the school, the semi-automatic weapon that was used and the aftermath of the tragedy.
“María Hinojosa and her team have brought compassion, understanding, and profound insights to shed light on the tragic events that unfolded at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022. Their diligent work serves as a testament to identifying the flaws and inspiring our nation to strive for improvement,” expressed Sewell Chan, editor-in-chief of the Tribune. “We are privileged to collaborate with her exceptional team and Frontline on this significant project.”
Hinojosa also explores the Robb Elementary School families’ outrage over the police response, in which armed officers waited for more than an hour to take down the shooter. In collaboration with the Tribune, which reviewed investigative footage from that day, Hinojosa explores the role of the shooter’s AR-15-style rifle in the officers’ hesitancy to confront him. Tribune reporter Zach Despart tells how officers on the scene knew their gear wouldn’t protect them against an AR-15. They knew that these types of rounds, because of their high velocity, would penetrate their normal body armor, he found.
By utilizing Hinojosa’s investigative journalism and conducting interviews with politicians from opposing sides of the gun debate, the documentary showcases the longstanding divisiveness surrounding gun reform in Texas. It effectively illustrates the political impasse that persists, highlighting the challenges faced in reaching a resolution.
The documentary airs at 9 p.m. Central time May 30 on PBS stations and on Frontline’s YouTube channel. It will also be available to stream starting at 6 p.m. Central at pbs.org/frontline and on the PBS Video app.
Raney Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of Frontline, expressed her pride in collaborating with Futuro Investigates, The Texas Tribune, and María Hinojosa to narrate this intricate tale. She acknowledged María Hinojosa’s indispensable reporting on the distressing events in Uvalde and their enduring consequences on the community.
Peniley Ramírez, executive producer of Futuro Investigates, expressed great excitement about collaborating with the skilled journalists at Frontline and The Texas Tribune. She highlighted that their diverse team possesses a profound understanding of the lesser-known issues impacting Latino communities. Together, they successfully created a thought-provoking and essential story that sheds light on the crucial challenges facing the United States today, including violence, guns, mental health, and politics.
Tickets are on sale now for the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival, happening in downtown Austin on Sept. 21-23. Get your TribFest tickets by May 31 and save big!