Judge seals autopsy reports of Uvalde mass shooting victims
Uvalde police have released the forensic reports of the 19 people killed at a concert by a gunman at a mall last summer.
The reports were sealed after the Uvalde County district attorney’s office filed a motion to prevent release to the public, citing the right to privacy in such cases as an ongoing trial. The reports have been released to the press.
The motion contends Uvalde police are required to continue providing reports on the case to the district attorney’s office. Because of the pending trial, the release of the documents “would constitute the public disclosure of the confidential contents” of such records, the motion stated.
The reports are a supplement to police interviews with the victims and with witnesses and are available to the public on the Dallas Police Department’s website.
The shooting by James Eric Harris happened Aug. 26, 2017, when he opened fire on the crowd gathered to watch the show at the Uvalde Galleria, a shopping center at the entrance to Interstate 35 and East Neches Road in Uvalde.
Harris was 18. Authorities believe he was under the influence of methamphetamine. He was stopped and arrested by Uvalde police after the shooting.
Harris was charged with capital murder by a grand jury in August 2017.
In July, Harris pleaded guilty to capital murder and was sentenced March 5 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
On the first day of the trial, Harris entered a not guilty plea to the charge in order to ensure jury selection was not tainted by the pre-trial publicity, prosecutors said. Harris has also previously been indicted on charges of kidnapping and aggravated assault, and two counts of aggravated robbery.
Investigators said they have learned through interviews with witnesses that Harris, who is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 245 pounds, used a large-caliber Glock 9mm handgun, a 9mm semi