Uvalde's Police Chief Resigns

The chief of police in Uvalde, Texas, announced his resignation Tuesday, days after the release of a report ordered by city leaders outraged residents. The report, which found mistakes had been made but cleared the city's officers of wrongdoing in the Robb Elementary School mass shooting, is expected to be rejected by the city council. Chief Daniel Rodriguez was on vacation in Arizona when 19 children and two teachers were killed on May 24, 2022, CNN reports. But Lt. Mariano Pargas, the officer he had assigned to be acting chief and was in contact with on the day of the shooting, was strongly criticized in a Justice Department report in January. Uvalde officers were among almost 400 law enforcement agents who waited for more than an hour to confront the gunman.

The federal report, which found "cascading failures" had occurred, said Pargas failed to act to save children trapped by the gunman, and although he was on the scene within minutes, he "continued to provide no direction, command, or control to personnel" after the shooter had been in the building for almost an hour. Pargas resigned in November 2022. In a statement posted on Facebook, Rodriguez didn't mention the shooting or last week's report but said it was time to "embrace a new chapter" in his career. He praised colleagues for their dedication to "serving and protecting the community," the AP reports.

Rodriguez had been criticized for allowing officers involved in the slow response to remain on the force. Officers from other forces, including the school district force, were fired for their roles in the response. Jesse Rizo's niece Jackie Cazares was killed in the shooting. He tells the New York Times that the chief's departure "was long overdue" and he wants to see more officers fired or punished. "At the end of the day, from the top all the way down, you know, these people have to be held accountable," he says. (More Uvalde mass shooting stories.)