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The Uvalde, Texas, police chief announced his resignation Tuesday, days after a City Council report cleared several officers of wrongdoing in the delayed law enforcement response to the shooting at Robb Elementary School that ended in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers.
“After much contemplation and consideration, I believe it is time for me to embark on a new chapter in my career,” Chief Daniel Rodriguez said in a statement.
“I have had the privilege of serving the City of Uvalde and its residents for the past 26 years, and it has been an honor to lead the dedicated men and women of our police department,” he continued.
Rodriguez did not mention the report of the school shooting, or mention the shooting itself, in his statement. The resignation goes into effect April 6.
Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith said he was “grateful” to Rodriguez for his “service to our community.”
Assistant Chief of Police Homer Delgado will be named Interim Chief of Police.
Last week, a Uvalde City Council report cleared law enforcement of wrongdoing in the May 24, 2022, mass shooting after an analysis revealed that police waited 77 minutes for tactical gear to arrive while students remained locked inside a classroom.
In addition to the 19 students and two teachers killed, 17 others were injured. The shooter was killed following a confrontation with police.
Jesse Prado, an Austin-based investigator and former police detective who wrote the report, said there were clear communication issues between Uvalde school district police and responding officers.
Prado said former Uvalde school district Police Chief Pete Arredondo “would make phone calls, but the officers had no way to know what was being planned or what was being said.” The investigation also found no evidence that the city’s police force — the focus of the investigation — committed any wrongdoing or failed to follow training.
In January, the U.S. Justice Department had blamed the response from law enforcement on a lack of leadership at the scene and a failure to follow accepted police protocol.
The city council report’s findings angered many residents who attended the meeting last week.
Kimberly Mata-Rubio, who lost her 10-year-old daughter, Alexandria “Lexi” Rubio, said at the city council meeting, “How do all of you live with yourselves?”
“How do you go to bed at night and then wake up every day? Shame on you all. You said they did it in good faith? You call that good faith? They stood there for 77 minutes and waited after they got call after call that kids were still alive in there,” she continued. “All this is it’s a pact. It’s a brothers’ pact. You protect your own.”
Ruben Zamora, the father of shooting survivor Mayah Zamora, said his daughter had been “left for dead.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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