The school authorities of Uvalde (Texas), where 19 children and 2 teachers died in a shooting last May, suspended all the guardians in said district this Friday.
The shooting at Robb Elementary School has sparked a wave of criticism for a lack of quick action and coordination by school police, state troopers and other officers who responded to the shooting.
Without delving into the causes, a statement from the Uvalde Independent School District (CISD) detailed today that Lieutenants Miguel Hernández and Ken Mueller were placed on administrative leave, and that other agents employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS, for their acronym in English) will be assigned to other tasks in the district.
The statement added that Mueller, who was the director of student services, has decided to retire.
The collective suspension “is a result of recent events” while the Texas Police Chiefs Association and private investigators continue to analyze police actions during the attack.
“The District remains committed to resolving outstanding issues with verifiable evidence,” the statement said.
On Thursday, school authorities had already fired Crimson Elizondo as a school guard after CNN television indicated that she had been one of the first police officers to arrive at the site of the attack, but remained outside the building most of the time. .
According to the CNN report, the body camera Elizondo was wearing that day caught her saying, “If my son had been in there, I wouldn’t have been out there. I promise you.”
Uvalde School Police Chief Pete Arredondo was fired last August.
According to an investigation by the Texas House of Representatives, 376 officers from various law enforcement agencies responded to the shooting before the shooter was killed.
The officers had pistols, rifles and bulletproof vests, but they still waited more than an hour to confront the shooter, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos.