Uvalde officials ask public to stay away ahead of mass shooting’s one-year anniversary

With the one-year anniversary of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School approaching, Uvalde officials respectfully ask the public to leave the town and its residents alone.

In an open letter to the public obtained by Texas Public Radio, Uvalde’s mayor, chief of police, superintendent and other officials are asking the public to hold any events or memorials in their own hometowns as opposed to traveling to Uvalde. Coming there would disturb the town’s mourning and healing process, they maintain.

“It is essential to the healing process for our community, and most importantly for our children, to be given this time to grieve together privately,” the letter said.

The one-year anniversary of the Robb Elementary School massacre that killed 19 students and two teachers is on May 24. The incident was the nation’s second-deadliest school shooting behind Sandy Hook and ignited renewed demands for gun reform.

Old wounds related to the shooting were reopened last Friday when text messages threatening a “bigger event” than that at Robb Elementary School put South Texas school districts, including Del Rio, Eagle Paso and Uvalde, on high alert, according to the Express-News.

“I truly regret having to send out these types of notices to our parents,” Uvalde CISD Superintendent Gary Patterson told the daily. “However, it is critical that our parents are informed, even if it turns out to be a hoax. We cannot afford to take anything for granted. We expect social media threats to increase as we near our one-year date.”

Uvalde CISD has since implemented a no-backpack policy starting on Monday.

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This article appears in May 3-16, 2023.