Uvalde: Facts, rumors, and lies

May 31 2022 Jamie Goldstein

On Tuesday morning, the 18 year old, male, Uvalde gunman shot his 66 year old grandmother, Celia Gonzales, in the face, then stole her Ford pickup truck and drove off. Gonzales managed to call 911, then hung on until first responders arrived and had her air lifted to safety. She is currently in critical condition but is recovering at a San Antonio area hospital.

EDITOR’S NOTE: There is no denying that police response to the Uvalde shooting was questionable at best. The school resource officer was not on site to confront the shooter, and even after police responded and entered the building, the shooter went unabated for 90 minutes after pushing seven officers back with small arms fire. This article’s purpose is not highlight the shortcomings of law enforcement – that has been reported on and continues to develop. This article focuses on the volume of misinformation that generated and was perpetuated by a lack of patience and the inclination to believe the first “facts” reported.

What we know so far

The Uvalde shooter’s first victim – his grandmother, Celia Gonzales, celebrating her 66th birthday with family. (photo credit: the Gonzales family)

The gunman then drove his grandmother’s truck to the Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, where he crashed it upon arrival at 11:28 AM. He entered the school 12 minutes later at 11:40 AM. Police arrived at 11:44 AM.

Once inside, the gunman shot 19 students and two teachers for a total of 21 fatalities, making this the most deadly school shooting the US has suffered in almost a the deadliest US school shooting in nearly a decade and was at least the 30th school shooting at a K-12 school in 2022.

Misinformation in first reports

The shooter’s entry into the school

Initially, a representative for the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) said that the gunman was “engaged” by a school resource officer. Later reports concluded that there was no school resource officer present. Texas DPS Regional Director Victor Escalon later said, “He walked in unobstructed initially. So from the grandmother’s house, to the (ditch), to the school, into the school, he was not confronted by anybody.”

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The shooters citizen status

Multiple reports from online news and social media sources claimed that the shooter was an illegal immigrant residing in the US illegally. A number of spoofed social media accounts popped up on Instagram which perpetuated this misinformation. In actuality, the shooter is a US citizen born in North Dakota.

The shooter’s gender-identity

Within hours of the shooting, a hate group launched a “hoax campaign” labeling the shooter as a trans woman living in the US illegally. Without any verification, Arizona Congressman (Rep.) Paul Gosar tweeted that the gunman was a “transexual leftist illegal alien named [omitted]”. The Congressman has since deleted the tweet and his spokesperson has declined to comment.

Weapons used in the shooting

It was first reported that the shooter arrived at the school armed with one or more pistols and possibly a rifle. In actuality, the shooter’s only weapon was a semi-automatic, magazine fed rifle.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">As an ex prosecutor from Uvalde, I can say based on my past interactions with Uvalde PD, you will never know the truth about what went down in that school until every inch of video tape is released to the press.</p>— Sara Spector (@Miriam2626) <a href="https://twitter.com/Miriam2626/status/1529985370166906889?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

How to digest a developing story

During a press conference on may 25th, Texas Governor Greg Abbott commented, “There’s been a lot of things that have been said. Some are correct. Some are incorrect.” So how can the average citizen discern between information and misinformation

SLOW DOWN – Take the time to distinguish between reporting and speculation
IDENTIFY POSSIBLE BIASES – If a hard-right Congressman immediately tweets that the shooter was a transgender illegal alien, or if a ultra-left-wing Senator claims that the firearm was a military grade weapon with a 100-round magazine bought from a Wal-Mart, there may be room for doubt.
CONSIDER THE SOURCE – Some sources have a reputation for jumping the gun, others have a reputation for taking their time and being thorough. Often times it’s better to trust the “reliable second” source than the overly eager first.
CONSIDER THE AGENDA – Some wan to be first. Some want to be incendiary. Some want to capitalize on an tragedy to negatively portray a group of people or propel a lobbying effort. As you read and think critically, take time to consider whether or not what your reading or listening to has an agenda other than fair reporting.