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  • Writer's pictureAnthony Martinez

Uvalde School District Suspends The Entire Police Department Over Shooting Fallout

The district also placed Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller, director of student services, on paid administrative leave. Mueller chose to resign, according to the statement.

The police department for the Uvalde, Texas, school district has been suspended "for a period of time" amid fallout from the response to the May 24 Robb Elementary shooting.


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. During the suspension, current officers with the department “will fill other roles in the district.


The shooting sparked intense outrage and an investigation after it was revealed that 1 hour, 14 minutes and 8 seconds passed from the time law enforcement entered the building until the gunman was killed. Nearly 400 officers responded to the scene.


The report stated that beyond the gunman, no other individual was to blame for the massacre. Still, it outlined a number of failures made in not intervening with the 18-year-old gunman, preventing the shooting, or minimizing the devastation. It also noted that a lack of clear leadership and direction contributed to officers.


In August, Uvalde schools police chief Pete Arredondo was fired following a recommendation from the school district superintendent.


In police body camera footage reported by CNN, she is heard telling officers at the scene that if her son was in the building, "I would not have been outside. I promise you that." She resigned as a trooper in August.


Several investigations into the shooting are ongoing. The district said in its statement on Friday it will continue to cooperate with the Texas Police Chiefs Association and JPPI Investigations, and the results of those probes will result in the hiring of a new police chief and will shape "future personnel decisions."

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