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(UVALDE, Texas) — The Texas Department of Public Safety on Thursday released a pair of videos depicting an altercation between one of its troopers and a visibly anguished mother of one of the students who died in last year’s mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, after an edited version of the dispute erupted on social media earlier this week.

The incident, which happened on Wednesday during a student-led walkout in protest of gun violence, reflects a distraught community’s simmering distrust of law enforcement after officers waited 77 minutes to confront the gunman who killed 19 students and two teachers on May 24, 2022.

By sharing the video publicly, law enforcement officials said they hope the additional context and transparency will help mend divisions between police and the community they are tasked to protect.

A video shared late Wednesday on social media begins with Ana Rodriguez, whose 10-year-old daughter Maite was among those killed in the rampage at Robb Elementary School, attempting to enter the elementary school to retrieve her son.

After a student inside the building opens the door, Rodriguez enters — but is immediately confronted by a Texas state trooper, who physically forces her out of the school.

“When your daughter is murdered on school grounds, then you talk to me sir,” Rodriguez tells the trooper.

The video quickly ricocheted across social media, overwhelmingly attracting sympathy for Rodriguez and generating outrage toward at the trooper. State Sen. Roland Gutierrez slammed the trooper’s conduct and called for a probe.

“I am demanding a full investigation of this incident, with bodycam footage to be released immediately,” Gutierrez tweeted. “This is a disgrace and is no way to treat a grieving family.”

By Thursday afternoon, the Texas Department of Publican safety had fulfilled Gutierrez’ request. Officials released an 11-minute clip from the trooper’s body-worn camera and a seven-minute video taken from a hallway surveillance camera, and a department spokesperson said they were looking into the matter.

The two videos show the moments leading up to the physical altercation. Rodriguez is first seen in the hallway of the school shouting at the trooper — although the trooper’s camera initially does not record any audio of the interaction.

In a statement obtained by ABC News, the trooper who confronted Rodriguez said that Rodriguez initially complied with his orders to check in with a secretary, pursuant to school protocol — but then “attempted to make her way into the auditorium and began yelling loudly, yelling ‘Walk-out’ several times.”

According to the body-worn camera, the officer then placed his hand on Rodriguez’ back and led her toward an exit. Rodriguez can then be heard banging on the door from outside, in an apparent attempt to get back in.

When another parent waiting for their child opens the door for Rodriguez, the trooper returns to the entryway, grabs Rodriguez around the arms and shoulders, and physically forces her back outside.

A moment later, the trooper returned to the doorway and allowed Rodriguez into a nearby office, where Rodriguez again presented her identification to the secretary and asked to retrieve her son. While she waited for her son, the trooper approached her and asked, “Can I please talk with you?”

“No, you may not,” Rodriguez replied. “You wouldn’t understand. Was your daughter shot up? No she was not f—ing shot! So this means something to me. It means something to me for my son to be able to protest.”

The Uvalde School District did not respond to comment about the incident, but a spokesperson released a statement saying the larger walk-out was an unsafe demonstration.

Hundreds of students throughout the district participated in the walk-out on Wednesday, marching to the memorial in the Uvalde town square and waiting 77 minutes, the length of time it took police to subdue the gunman during the attack last May.

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(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Education on Thursday announced a proposed change to Title IX to prohibit categorical bans on transgender student athletes.

If adopted as a rule, the change would make it illegal for schools or universities to bar transgender student athletes from participating on sports teams consistent with their gender identities “just because of who they are,” the department wrote.

While the change would make “one-size-fits-all” prohibitions a violation of Title IX, it would still give schools discretion to develop eligibility rules for sports teams that could ultimately restrict a transgender athlete’s ability to participate.

A senior department administration official said if a school assessed there was a need to limit transgender athletes for the purpose of fairness in competition, safety or other educational interests, it “could identify what basis it was using to do that and why.”

“The proposed regulation would give schools flexibility to identify their own important educational objectives,” the official said. “They might include, for example, fairness and competition, or preventing sports related injuries.”

When asked Thursday how the administration will implement the rule in states that have already passed bans on transgender girls, the official said the government will be “eager” to enforce it throughout the country without providing details.

“The federal civil rights law is the law of the land and we would be eager to ensure its full satisfaction in every school community around the country,” the official said.

Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona applauded the proposal as a move that will benefit students’ health.

“Every student should be able to have the full experience of attending school in America, including participating in athletics, free from discrimination. Being on a sports team is an important part of the school experience for students of all ages,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “Beyond all the benefits to physical and mental health, playing on a team teaches students how to work hard, get along with others, believe in themselves, and build healthy habits that last a lifetime.”

The American Federation of Teachers also celebrated the announcement, saying the change would protect transgender students from politically motivated blanket bans.

But the proposal was met with criticism from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Speaker Kevin McCarthy said that the suggested change is “anti-women,” adding, “Protecting women’s sports is essential.”

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., who sits on the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also criticized the proposed change.

“As a father of three girls who all play sports, I’m outraged that the Biden administration wants to force them to compete against biological males,” told ABC News.

“This is scientifically and morally wrong and a slap in the face to girls and women across the country,” he said.

The announcement comes on the heels of a Supreme Court decision in favor of a 12-year-old transgender girl and her parents who challenged a West Virginia law that would impose such a ban.

Twenty states have passed laws banning transgender students from participating in sports consistent with their gender identities, according to the Movement Advancement Project, a gender equality-focused nonprofit think tank.

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(EVERMAN, Texas) — The search for a missing 6-year-old Texas boy who hasn’t been seen since October is now a death investigation, police said Thursday, while vowing to find his body.

Texas authorities issued an endangered missing person alert late last month for Noel Rodriguez-Alvarez of Everman, a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

After conducting interviews with families and investigating stories they believe his mother allegedly told to cover for his disappearance, including that she had sold him, “it has led to a very unfortunate, unimaginable, devastating conclusion that Noel is likely deceased,” Everman Police Chief C.W. Spencer said at a press briefing Thursday.

Noel was last seen alive around the birth of his twin sisters in October, “appearing unhealthy and malnourished,” according to Spencer. In early November, his mother, Cindy Rodriguez-Singh, applied for passports for all of her children except for Noel, the police chief said.

Around that time, Rodriguez-Singh “began trying to explain the disappearance of Noel … through various stories,” including reportedly telling people he was with his biological father in Mexico, with his aunt in Mexico or that Noel was sold to another woman in a Fiesta Market parking lot, Spencer said.

“Investigators have been able to disprove each one of these stories,” Spencer said.

Family members reportedly told police that Rodriguez-Singh was abusive and neglectful toward Noel, including allegedly withholding food and water “often” and on one occasion striking him in the face with a set of keys, Spencer said. She also “referred to him as evil, possessed or having a demon in him,” the police chief said.

Rodriguez-Singh, her husband Arshdeep Singh and her six other children are currently in India, Spencer said. Warrants have been issued for the couple’s arrest on the felony charge of abandoning and endangering a child, according to the police chief.

“We want these fugitives arrested and extradited back to the United States so we can seek answers for the disappearance of Noel,” Spencer said.

Investigators are now conducting recovery operations and organized searches to find Noel’s body, the chief said.

“Nobody is more committed, more determined or more eager to locate Noel than this investigative team,” Spencer said.

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(BALTIMORE, Md.) — More than 150 priests and others associated with the Archdiocese of Baltimore are accused of sexually abusing more than 600 children in a newly released report from Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown.

The report, which examined thousands of documents dating back to the 1940s, states that the number of abused children is “likely far higher” than 600.

“The sheer number of abusers and victims, the depravity of the abusers’ conduct, and the frequency with which known abusers were given the opportunity to continue preying upon children are astonishing,” read the report.

The Archdiocese of Baltimore is the oldest diocese in the United States, established in 1789.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General began its investigation in 2018, seeking not only instances of abuse, but also the effort by leadership to cover up the illegal behavior.

“While every victim’s story is unique, together they reveal themes and behaviors typical of adults who sexually abuse children, and of those who enable abuse by concealing it,” read the report. “What was consistent throughout was the absolute authority and power these abusive priests and church leadership held over victims, their families and their communities.”

The 463-page report offers detailed accounts of the abuse, as well as the impact that abuse had on victims – some of whom faced substance abuse, depression, anxiety, attempted suicide and other mental health conditions and challenges in the years after.

The report accuses Archdiocese leaders of dismissing reports of abuse, exhibiting “little to no concern for victims,” and failing to “adequately investigate complaints.”

Archbishop William E. Lori apologized to survivors for the “harm caused” by the Church in response to the report. He said the report captures a period in the Archdiocese’s past “when our response to such allegations was woefully inadequate.”

“We hear you. We believe you and your courageous voices have made a difference,” an April 5 statement read.

Lori said he met with victim-survivors on his first day as Archbishop, and argues the Church is working to ensure “transparency and accountability” in responding to reports of abuse.

He continued, “Through difficult, although deeply meaningful, meetings, I have experienced your brave witness, and the power of your words and testimony compel my personal conviction to ensure we do everything possible to prevent future incidents of abuse and promote healing for survivors.”

The attorney general’s office recommends that the state amend the statute of limitations for civil actions involving child sex abuse, as studies have shown that more than half of child sex abuse victims don’t report until they are over age 50. In Maryland, the statute of limitations for a civil action is three years from the date of the harm, according to the Maryland General Assembly.

“Because Maryland recognizes a statute of limitations defense in civil cases – a defense that the Archdiocese consistently chooses to rely upon – victims have no recourse if they are over the age of 38,” the report read. “Yet many victims have suffered lifelong effects from the harm perpetrated on them by the Church.”

Legislation headed to Gov. Wes Moore’s desk would eliminate Maryland’s civil statute of limitations for such lawsuits concerning damages for child sexual abuse victims.

The agency also recommended the expansion of public accountability for those who commit an act of child abuse.

ABC News’ Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.

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(SAN FRANCISCO) — A day after Cash App Founder Bob Lee was killed in San Francisco, a customer walked into a cafe blocks away from the crime scene and began to cry.

“She was looking at our pastry case and I did my normal, ‘Hey how is it going?'” Tommy Balcom, an employee at Philz Coffee, told ABC News. “I haven’t seen that look in anybody’s eyes, ever — someone with so much grief.”

The customer, who said she had been a close friend of Lee’s, asked Balcom: “‘Can you let me know everything will be OK?'” he said. “I said, ‘Of course, what can I do to help?’ I had no idea what she was talking about.'”

Balcom soon learned about Lee, who died of “apparent stab wounds” sustained early Tuesday morning in the San Francisco neighborhood of Rincon Hill, the San Francisco Police Department said.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins on Wednesday described the killing of Lee as “horrific.”

The murder has brought moments of shared grief and fueled discussion of safety among some in the relatively well-off neighborhood where the crime took place, according to interviews with workers at nearby businesses.

Some local employees said the incident underscores an ongoing sense of threat while others said they feel secure despite the harrowing news.

“Everybody’s talking about it,” Sam Habash, who has worked at nearby Gabby Market and Deli for 16 years, told ABC News. “They’re so sorry for his death.”

Habash, who said he usually works a nighttime shift from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., said he feels “very safe” in the area even after the crime.

Echoing that sentiment, Balcom said he considers the area “relatively safe,” but added that the killing had brought an “air of concern.”

“You have people talking about carrying pepper spray and which pepper spray is the best,” Balcom said.

In a statement on Wednesday, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said, “There is no place for this kind of violent crime against anyone in our city. I want to assure everyone that our investigators are working tirelessly to make an arrest and bring justice to Mr. Lee and his loved ones, just as we try to do on every homicide that occurs in our city.”

Overall, crime in San Francisco is down 9.7% this year compared to last year, but homicides are up 20%, robberies are up 13.6% and assaults are up 2.2%, San Francisco crime data shows.

Police responded to a report of a stabbing early Tuesday, around 2:35 a.m., and found a 43-year-old man suffering from stab wounds, the San Francisco Police Department said.

Officers called for medics, who transported the victim to a nearby hospital with life-threatening injuries, the police report said, adding that the victim ultimately died from the injuries.

Police confirmed Lee’s identity in a statement late Wednesday.

Jasmin Tejeda, an employee at Woodlands Pet Shop, a store blocks from the crime scene, lives in the area with her father.

“We thought it was going to be a safe neighborhood,” she said.

However, three or four times each month Tejeda encounters people in the store who are homeless or appear to have used drugs, she said.

“There are incidents where people come in and you have to deal with them,” she said.

The killing of Lee reminded Tejeda of why she prefers to work during the day, she added.

“I personally don’t feel comfortable doing closing shifts, just because I know these kinds of things happen,” she said.

Still, most residents appeared to downplay the threat of violence.

Eloy Garcia, a general manager at a nearby restaurant called Prospect, told ABC News that the tragic incident is an outlier.

“It’s a very unfortunate situation,” he said. “But overall it still feels relatively safe compared to other big cities.”

On Tuesday, the day of the murder, the environment at the restaurant was “business as usual,” he said.

“We have residents that live in the area and come here regularly — they were a little shocked,” he said. “But really it was a normal day for us.”

Balcom, of Philz Coffee, said the incident had evinced a “communal effect” of mutual support.

As a gesture of goodwill toward the customer who had entered the store crying, Balcom gave her a free coffee, he said.

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson contributed reporting.

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(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Nashville, Tennessee, Mayor John Cooper publicly called on lawmakers to pass an extreme risk protection law and take action on gun safety one week after a shooter killed six people at a local private school.

Tennessee has “some of the weakest gun laws in the country,” and the state needs to do a better job of keeping guns away from people at risk, Cooper said during a press conference Thursday. According to Cooper, the loosening of gun laws has contributed to an increase in gun violence, in addition to a rise in the number of guns stolen, particularly from car break-ins.

“The answer to too many guns just can’t be more guns,” Cooper said.

While there are several safety measures in place at schools, such as student resource officers for protection, that cannot be the whole solution, Cooper said. He called it “unacceptable” that parents, students and teachers go to school with fear for their safety.

“They all deserve answers as how do we improve to have a safer society? And it’s a shocking thing that our schools have to spend all this time not on instruction, but on safety drills. That’s not something that we should accept and Republican lawmakers need to be part of the answer,” he said.

The extreme risk protection law Cooper is calling for would keep guns out of the hands of people in crisis. Nineteen states have extreme risk protection laws on the books. While the specifics of the laws differ by state, they allow law enforcement and/or families to ask a judge to remove guns from people posing a risk to themselves or others.

“These kinds of extreme risk laws, often known as red flag laws, would have likely prevented or affected the last three mass shootings here in Nashville. That’s remarkable. One is Covenant School last week, one at the Waffle House in 2018 and one at Burnett Chapel Church of Christ in 2017,” Cooper said.

All three shooters had exhibited warning signs leading up to the shooting.

“I’ve spent several of the most recent days attending funerals, and these are memorials that should not be happening as often as they do in the United States. The murder weapons that stole six lives from us were legally purchased here and so were multiple other guns that the assailant had been stockpiling,” Cooper said.

The shooter at The Covenant School, a former student identified by police as 28-year-old Audrey Hale, allegedly planned the shooting for months.

Hale was armed with two assault-style rifles, a handgun and “significant ammunition” at the time of the attack, according to police. Authorities said Hale owned seven legally purchased guns from five different local stores. She fired 152 rounds during the March 27 shooting.

Hale had exhibited warning signs for dangerous behavior and was known to be a firearm owner, according to police.

“In the months leading up to the tragedy, the shooter was extremely disturbed, and her loved ones knew it. Her parents didn’t think she was stable enough to own guns and her friends were worried about the messages she was sending them,” John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety, said during the press conference.

“Now, obviously, there are no guarantees in life, but if Tennessee had an extreme risk law, family members and friends could have turned their fears into action,” Feinblatt said.

After the shooting, Republican Gov. Bill Lee and Lt. Gov. Randy McNally indicated they would support some gun safety measures, including laws that would keep guns away from people who pose a risk to themselves or others, according to local outlet The Tennessean.

The governor also proposed $140 million in funds for more school resource officers and guards, as well as an increase in mental health liaisons.

Cooper said he is “cautiously optimistic” that Tennessee lawmakers could pass an extreme risk protection law due to the support from senior leadership. Senior state leadership on both sides of the isle have indicated they support red flag laws, creating a path for such legislation, according to Cooper.

“We have to turn our grief into action. We have to honor those precious lives stolen from us and work together to do a better, safer future for all of us,” Cooper said. “And that’s a future that does not repeat last week’s events.”

“There has to be a better answer than no answer. Just silence on the subject is not acceptable to the public,” Cooper added.

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