SANTA FE, Texas — For the first time, some families of the Santa Fe High School shooting victims will get to see evidence from the crime scene more than five years later.
KHOU 11's Grace White spoke with three of the mothers who lost children in the shooting. They met with Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady, who will give them access to evidence like the medical examiner's report and video from the scene.
This is all possible because of Senate Bill 435, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed on May 24. It allows crime victims across the state to access the case files, so long as they sign confidentiality agreements.
The families said signing the agreements is a step they're willing to take to get access to the information they've been asking for for five years.
“I said we are going to pass a bill, come hell or high water," said Rhonda Hart, whose daughter, Kimberly Vaughan, died that day.
“Everything that’s been told to me, now I get to dot all those eyes and cross all those 'Ts' to know if it’s true or not,” said Rosie Stone, who lost her son, Chris Stone, in the shooting.
Gayle McLeod, whose son, Kyle McLeod, also died that day, said she needs to see the evidence to have closure.
“You are never prepared to see something like that, to see how your children died," Gayle McLeod said.
The evidence was being withheld because the accused shooter has yet to stand trial due to being declared incompetent. He's being held at a North Texas hospital while doctors try to restore his competency.
“We are never going to get to trial, this guy is going to be clinically insane for the rest of his life," Hart said.
The mothers said they were told that only two law enforcement agencies have the body camera video from the shooting - the Texas City Police Department and Texas Department of Public Safety. They were also told that the surveillance video from the school's hallway does not have any audio.
But, to them, it's pieces of their children's last moments. Moments they want to see.
“What happened that day, more than just the stuff we have been fed or given or pieced together or a snip it here or a snip it there, maybe it will give us a full view of start to finish," Gayle McLeod said.
The bill's impact goes beyond Santa Fe, allowing crime victims across the state to access evidence.
But, if a family member is also a witness expected to testify at trial, it will be up to the prosecutor's discretion on how much they're able to see.
Watch Grace White's extended interview with families of the victims five years later: