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Six months after fatal tragedy


Six months ago, on May 24, 2022, the Uvalde Leader-News proclaimed the city’s soul was crushed with the death of 19 children and two teachers resulting from a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School, where an 18-year-old former Uvalde High School student used an AR-15 to unleash a barrage of gunfire in his former classroom and the adjoining room.

Investigation: It took more than an hour for any of the 376 officers at the school to enter the classrooms. District Attorney Christina Mitchell said her office’s investigation into the event, including the law enforcement response, would take about six months. On Nov. 21, she amended that timeline to one year. She has declined to share information about the investigation, and multiple public officials have cited her orders as their reason for not disclosing information. 

First firing: After a 1.5-hour closed session on Aug. 24, UCISD trustees fired Pete Arredondo, the school police chief who authored the district’s active shooter handbook in cooperation with student services director Kenneth Mueller. Due to rampant community outcry, Arredondo was forced in early July to relinquish his newly-won seat on the Uvalde City Council, to which he had been elected on May 7 and sworn in during a private ceremony conducted May 31. Arredondo previously requested an extended leave, given the circumstances surrounding the May 24 tragedy. City council denied the request in a meeting held June 21.

Activism: Brett Cross, guardian of Uziyah Garcia, who was killed in the shooting, staged at days-long protest at the school district’s Central Office beginning on Sept. 26 and ending on Oct. 7 when the school terminated the employment of Crimson Elizondo, a school officer who made unflattering comments as a DPS officer the day of the shooting. At the same time, UCISD suspended the entire school police force, including Lt. Mike Hernandez, a veteran officer who oversaw Elizondo’s hiring and was present at Robb.

Retirements: That day, the district planned to place Kenneth Mueller on leave, but he retired instead. The school administration at large is undergoing extensive changes. Superintendent Hal Harrell announced his retirement on Oct. 7, and assistant superintendent Beth Reavis followed his lead later in the month. Michael Rodriguez, who served as an assistant superintendent, also retired before the bulk of the controversy began.

Criticism: With Harrell’s retirement, the families of the Robb 21 began receiving more public criticism, given the popular superintendent’s standing in the community. His new role is one of “superintendent emeritus” and he plans to remain with the district in an advisory capacity for the foreseeable future.

Politics: Several of the Robb 21 families – the Rubios, Crosses, and Cazareses most visibly, who form activism group Lives Robbed – have lobbied lawmakers for stricter gun control measures, largely being told raising the purchase age isn’t feasible, and to forget banning military-style weapons. Most of the Robb 21 families backed Democratic candidates Beto O’Rourke for governor, Roland Gutierrez for state senator, and John Lira for U.S. Congress, but a majority of their fellow Uvalde County voters eschewed that idea and voted against all three men. Gutierrez was the only victor. 

Accountability: Uvalde Police Department Lt. Mariano Pargas, after being reelected to a fourth term as Uvalde County Commissioner on Nov. 7, resigned from his police employment on Nov. 17 after CNN released transcripts showing he knew children were alive and injured in the classrooms. The city of Uvalde placed him on administrative leave in July, pending the results of an independent review.

Reviews: The city of Uvalde and Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District separately engaged the same person, Jesse Prado of Austin, a private investigator and former law enforcement officer, to conduct reviews of the Uvalde Police Department and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police department, respectively. The county of Uvalde selected attorney Richard Carter to review the Uvalde County Sheriff’s Office. 

New faces: Gary Patterson signed on as interim superintendent and has hired a new interim police chief, Joshua Gutierrez, whom Patterson has worked with in the past. Gutierrez has an added title of executive director of safety and security that previous UCISD PD chiefs did not have.

DPS action: The Texas Department of Public Safety, which has engaged in deflecting blame onto local agencies, fired local Sgt. Juan Maldonado, a Uvalde resident, for his role that day. DPS says other staff members, including a Texas Ranger, are under investigation.

Denial: Texas Department of Public Safety director Col. Steven McCraw on Oct. 27 refuted calls from Uvalde families of Robb Elementary victims for his resignation during a meeting of the Public Safety Commission in Austin on Oct. 27. On Sept. 9, CNN released a video in which McCraw said he would resign if his troopers had “any culpability” in the deficient law enforcement response at the school.

Vacation: Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez was on a scheduled vacation on May 24, which is why Pargas was considered in charge of UPD actions. 

911 question: Uvalde County Sheriff Ruben Nolasco was on campus that day but had first responded to Diaz Street, where shooter Salvador Ramos shot his grandmother, who survived, in the face before departing for the school. Speaking to the newspaper on July 7, Nolasco said he was flagged down by a passing motorist while en route to the school on May 24 and had not been personally called by anyone related to the incident on Diaz Street. 

Confusion: Maria and Gilbert Gallegos, neighbors of the shooter’s grandmother on Diaz Street, took offense to reports regarding a lack of 911 calls. Gilbert Gallegos, who has since died, proferred his phone bill to show that he called 911 at 11:33 and 11:35 a.m. Uvalde Police Department Chief Daniel Rodriguez confirmed there is no record of the calls.

The preceding is not a comprehensive list but instead highlights significant developments since the May 24 tragedy,