Current:Home > NewsUvalde police chief who was on vacation during Robb Elementary shooting resigns -Zenith Investment School
Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during Robb Elementary shooting resigns
Will Sage Astor View
Date:2025-04-11 11:11:22
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Uvalde police chief who was on vacation during the Robb Elementary School shooting submitted his resignation Tuesday, less than a week after a report ordered by the city defended the department’s response to the attack but outraged some family members of the 19 children and two teachers who were killed.
Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez was vacationing in Arizona when a teenage gunman entered a fourth-grade classroom in Uvalde with an AR-style rifle on May 24, 2022. In his resignation statement sent via email by the Uvalde Police Department, Rodriguez said it was time to embrace a new chapter in his career.
“Together we achieved significant progress and milestones, and I take pride in the positive impact we’ve made during my tenure,” Rodriguez said in the statement. He then thanked his colleagues for their dedication to “serving and protecting the community,” as well as city leaders, but did not mention the 2022 shooting or last week’s report.
The resignation is effective April 6.
“The City of Uvalde is grateful to Chief Rodriguez for his 26 years of service to our community and we wish him the best as he pursues new career opportunities,” Mayor Cody Smith said in a statement.
The announcement came hours before the Uvalde City Council was scheduled to meet for the first time since a private investigator hired by the city unveiled a report that acknowledged missteps by police but concluded that local officers did not deserve punishment. Nearly 400 law enforcement agents who were at the scene of the attack, including Uvalde police officers, waited more than an hour after the shooting began to confront the gunman.
A critical incident report by the Department of Justice in January found “cascading failures” in law enforcement’s handling of the massacre. The report specifically mentioned Uvalde Police Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was the acting police chief that day in Rodriguez’s absence.
According to the almost 600-page DOJ report, nearly an hour after the shooter entered the school, Pargas “continued to provide no direction, command or control to personnel.”
The city’s report agreed with that of federal officials regarding a lack of communication between officers command and a response plan, as well as a insufficient officer training.
A criminal investigation into the police response by Uvalde District Attorney Christina Mitchell’s office remains ongoing. A grand jury was summoned earlier this year and some law enforcement officials have already been called to testify.
City officials have accused Mitchell of refusing to provide them with information from other responding law enforcement agencies, citing her office’s ongoing investigation. In December 2022, city leaders sued the local prosecutor over access to records regarding the deadly shooting.
Tensions were high at Uvalde’s specially convened city council meeting Thursday as some city council members quickly spoke out against the findings of the report. Uvalde City Council member Hector Luevano said he found the report insulting.
"“These families deserve more. This community deserves more,” Luevano said, adding he declined to accept the report’s findings.
Uvalde, a town of just over 15,000 residents about 85 miles southwest of San Antonio, remains divided over accountability and the definition of moving forward.
Parents and family members of the 19 children and two teachers killed in the shooting, as well as survivors and their relatives disagreed with the findings in Prado’s report.
During a public comment period at the City Council meeting last week in Uvalde, some speakers questioned why Rodriguez had allowed officers who had waited so long to act to remain on the force.
At least five officers who were on the scene have lost their jobs, including two Department of Public Safety officers and Pete Arredondo, the former school police chief who was the on-site commander. No officers have faced criminal charges.
veryGood! (3118)
Related
- McConnell absent from Senate on Thursday as he recovers from fall in Capitol
- Why Eva Mendes Likely Won't Join Barbie’s Ryan Gosling on Golden Globes Red Carpet
- Cities with soda taxes saw sales of sugary drinks fall as prices rose, study finds
- LeBron James gives blunt assessment of Lakers after latest loss: 'We just suck right now'
- Jorge Ramos reveals his final day with 'Noticiero Univision': 'It's been quite a ride'
- Protesters calling for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war block traffic in Seattle
- Hate crimes reached record levels in 2023. Why 'a perfect storm' could push them higher
- T.J. Watt injures knee as Steelers defeat Ravens in regular-season finale
- 2 killed, 3 injured in shooting at makeshift club in Houston
- Don’t Miss This $59 Deal on a $300 Kate Spade Handbag and More 80% Discounts That Are Sure To Sell Out
Ranking
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Longtime New Mexico state Sen. Garcia dies at age 87; champion of children, families, history
- These Photos of the 2024 Nominees at Their First-Ever Golden Globes Are a Trip Down Memory Lane
- Olympian Mary Lou Retton Speaks Out About Her Life-Threatening Health Scare in First Interview
- Pregnant Kylie Kelce Shares Hilarious Question Her Daughter Asked Jason Kelce Amid Rising Fame
- Christian Oliver's wife speaks out after plane crash killed actor and their 2 daughters
- On Jan. 6 many Republicans blamed Trump for the Capitol riot. Now they endorse his presidential bid
- Warriors guard Chris Paul fractures left hand, will require surgery
Recommendation
Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
A fire in a Rohingya refugee camp in Bangladesh guts more than 1,000 shelters
Interim president named at Grambling State while work begins to find next leader
On Jan. 6 many Republicans blamed Trump for the Capitol riot. Now they endorse his presidential bid
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
‘Wonka’ is No. 1 at the box office again as 2024 gets off to a slower start
Baltimore Ravens' Jadeveon Clowney shows what $750,000 worth of joy looks like
Northeast U.S. preparing for weekend storm threatening to dump snow, rain and ice