Uvalde School District Suspends Entire Police Force Months After Massacre

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has suspended their police department months after the Robb Elementary School shooting

The Uvalde school district is holding their police force accountable. Four months after the Robb Elementary School massacre, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District has suspended the police department "for a period of time" after fallout from delayed response to the May 24 shooting. The shooting claimed the lives of 19 students and 2 teachers.

"The District remains committed to resolving issues with verifiable evidence. Decisions concerning the UCISD police department have been pending the results of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and JPPI investigation. Recent developments have uncovered additional concerns with department operations," the school district said in a statement.

Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller were also placed on administrative leave by the district. The Texas Tribune reported that Crimson Elizondo, a recently hired district police officer, was discharged earlier this week, as she was one of the first state troopers to arrive at the school on May 24. In on-body camera footage from the day of the shooting, Elizondo was heard speaking to another officer about whether any of her children attended the school.

“If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that," Elizondo reportedly said.

Families have expressed their outrage over footage from the shooting, which showed police officers standing in the hallway for more than one hour before the classroom was breached by law enforcement. During a September demonstration, parents of deceased Robb Elementary School students blocking the entrance doors of the school district’s administration building. The school is set to be demolished, with the goal of introducing a new campus in October 2024.