Judge seals autopsy reports of Uvalde mass shooting victims
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Published January 19, 2013, 10:05 pm
Updated December 18, 2016, 12:58 am
By:
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Updated December 18, 2016, 11:02 am
A week after a mass shooting in Fort Worth killed seven people, family members are seeking to learn more about the gunman’s life and actions, and are seeking to have a judge seal the medical records that investigators took from his home after the shootings.
Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson said she received the autopsy reports from the medical examiner of Fort Worth’s Tarrant County the day of the attack, and a week later she requested a judge seal the records.
A Tarrant County judge agreed to do so yesterday afternoon. Wilson said the records likely will be sealed until the next court hearing on the case.
“I didn’t ask for medical records to be sealed because they might reveal information that could be helpful to the defense,” Wilson said.
The district attorney said the medical examiner determined that the gunshot wounds to the victims were consistent with having been fired from a distance of eight to 30 feet.
Wilson said the medical examiner also determined that the killer shot the victims in the face and in the back with a high-caliber firearm, which is consistent with what investigators believe happened.
The medical examiner said the victims were shot with a high-caliber 9 mm round, which carries a higher muzzle energy than the same-caliber round used by the gunman in the attack. Investigators said the shooter fired a total of 10 shots.
“We are seeking the public’s assistance in understanding more about Tarrant County’s most recent tragedy and in assisting us in our investigation,” Wilson said.
On Dec. 4, 24-year-old Tarrant County College student Devin Patrick Kelley entered the campus and sprayed the building with gunfire, killing three people.
After the shootings, the police called for a body to be sent to Texas Medical examiner’s office in Fort Worth and asked it to begin autopsies.
Investigators reviewed the autopsy reports and identified the gunman, but could not pinpoint where he lives
