Months following the massacre that struck the city of Uvalde, Texas, back in May, when an 18-year-old lone gunman charged into Robb Elementary School and killed 19 children and two adults, comes a significant development in the district. The Uvalde, Texas, school district announced the suspension of the entire district police force on Friday (Oct. 7).
This decision comes after precedent firings in recent months and even days. In August, the school district’s police chief, Pete Arredondo, was fired. Crimson Elizondo, one of the officers under investigation, was fired yesterday (Oct. 6). Currently, seven DPS officers are being investigated for their actions on the day of the massacre.
Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller, the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s director of student services, received administrative leave. However, Mueller reportedly elected to retire.
The Uvalde Police Department and school district law enforcement have faced much scrutiny following the shooting. Cameras revealed that it took police one hour and 17 minutes to breach the classroom door and kill the gunman, a response that disregarded common active shooting training.
According to the district, more troopers from the Texas Department of Public Safety were requested for campuses and extra-curricular activities. “We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition,” they stated.
Uvalde is about 80 miles west of San Antonio. According to the 2020 U.S. Census, it has a population of just over 15,000 residents, 78% of whom identify as “Hispanic or Latino.”
No other details of the suspension, including the length or terms, were revealed.