Uvalde shooting: School district fires officer after CNN identifies her as trooper under investigation for her response to massacre

Uvalde, Texas
CNN
 — 

The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District fired a newly employed college officer on Thursday after CNN recognized her as one of many officers under investigation for her actions through the Uvalde college massacre in May.

Crimson Elizondo was one of many state troopers who arrived at Robb Elementary inside two minutes of a gunman coming into the varsity and opening hearth final May.

She is seen in her Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) uniform, handgun drawn, outdoors the varsity constructing in Uvalde, after which briefly within the hallway on the physique digital camera footage from one other legislation enforcement officer.

Later, she might be heard on physique digital camera footage speaking to fellow officers when somebody asks if she had kids on the college that day.

“If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside,” she stated. “I promise you that.”

Elizondo was one of many first of the 91 DPS officers to arrive, one of many 376 whole legislation enforcement personnel who went to the varsity the place the shooter was left for 77 minutes – with useless, dying and traumatized victims – earlier than he was stopped. The response to the assault wherein 19 kids and two academics had been killed has been denounced as an “abject failure” with sufficient blame to be unfold extensively.

The college police chief was fired and now seven DPS officers are being investigated for what they did – or didn’t – do. CNN has uncovered completely that Elizondo is a type of officers being investigated. A supply shut to the investigation additionally confirmed that to CNN.

She not works for DPS. During the summer season, she was employed as a police officer for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, the place her function is to defend a number of the exact same kids who survived the Robb Elementary taking pictures.

Elizondo declined to communicate with CNN in individual, on the telephone or by direct message.

Following this CNN report, the varsity district issued an announcement asserting her termination efficient Thursday.

“We are deeply distressed by the information that was disclosed yesterday evening concerning one of our recently hired employees, Crimson Elizondo,” the assertion from the district stated. “We sincerely apologize to the victim’s families and the greater Uvalde community for the pain that this revelation has caused. Ms. Elizondo’s statement in the audio is not consistent with the District’s expectations.”

“Regarding the remaining UCISD Police Department employees, we continue to make personnel decisions based on verifiable information. An independent investigation is underway to evaluate the actions of the current officers on May 24, 2022. Additionally, we are awaiting results of a management and organizational review of the UCISD Police Department that will aid the district in taking informed actions to further ensure the safety and security of our schools,” the assertion added.

However, the Uvalde School District Police had been knowledgeable as early as July 28 that Elizondo was topic to investigation by the division’s Office of Inspector General for actions “inconsistent with training and department requirements,” in accordance to paperwork obtained by CNN in a public information request.

It shouldn’t be clear from the letter which actions had been topic to investigation.

Uvalde CISD has stated it wished to recruit 10 extra officers after the May 24 assault. It didn’t particularly announce the hiring of Elizondo over the summer season, although the names and photographs of her and 4 different law enforcement officials, one lieutenant and one safety guard are on its website, under the banner “KEEP U.C.I.S.D. SAFE.”

Superintendent Hal Harrell advised a particular city corridor assembly in August that no less than 33 DPS officers would even be deployed across the district’s eight faculties. After preliminary concern by residents that officers who failed to cease the killing could be tasked with college safety, dad or mum Brett Cross advised CNN he had been assured the deployed DPS officers wouldn’t have been responders to the taking pictures.

In her new place, that restriction doesn’t apply to Elizondo. Children and fogeys walked previous her as they headed into the varsity 12 months at Uvalde Elementary, the brand new residence for the youthful college students who survived the Robb bloodshed.

And some mother and father, together with those that misplaced kids within the massacre, acknowledged her from the physique digital camera footage launched by the mayor, relations advised CNN.

“We are disgusted and angry at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s (UCISD) decision to hire Officer Crimson Elizondo. Her hiring puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD’s HR and vetting practices,” in accordance to an announcement from household representatives.

It made them really feel uneasy, CNN has discovered, one more reminder of the lethal day in a city that is filled with such reminders.

But they didn’t know that she was under investigation.

It’s additionally unclear if the varsity district knew of the investigation when she was employed.

The assertion from household representatives calls for all division officers to be suspended pending a third-party investigation, and its outcomes “must be released” to the general public as nicely as households of the victims.

“Our children have been taken from us. We will not stop fighting until we have answers and we ensure the safety of the children in our community is the top priority,” the assertion stated.

Cross, the authorized guardian of Uziyah Garcia, one of many kids killed at Robb Elementary, says he’s “disgusted” by what the district has executed.

“I’m absolutely appalled,” he advised CNN’s Anderson Cooper and says the varsity board met with him and supplied to pull such officers to off-campus roles. He says he’ll proceed to maintain a vigil outdoors the varsity board workplaces till all officers are suspended.

The district and its workers haven’t responded to emails and calls and a private strategy from CNN about this story.

Texas DPS, the state physique that helps native legislation enforcement in main incidents, introduced an inside evaluation into its workers who responded to Robb.

Sources accustomed to the investigation confirmed to CNN that Elizondo is certainly one of seven officers whose conduct is being investigated by DPS, however neither their names nor their actions or inactions have been made public.

In a redacted inside memo to the group’s director obtained by CNN, DPS cited “actions which may be inconsistent with training and requirements” as the rationale for the officers being referred for investigation.

Sources accustomed to the inquiry advised CNN that Elizondo was not correctly geared up and stated to investigators that she was not snug going inside the varsity with out her gear.

Footage from police physique cameras and people of different officers seen by CNN present Elizondo arriving on the outskirts of the varsity as one of many first officers to reply to the report of an armed man at Robb Elementary.

She will get out of her official car however doesn’t retrieve any tactical physique armor or her lengthy rifle, as officers are skilled to do.

She doesn’t strategy the varsity however stays with officers from different companies outdoors the fence till a name comes over the radio, “Shots fired inside the building!”

Elizondo runs with different officers to the japanese finish of the constructing that housed connecting lecture rooms 111 and 112. Soon after, the responding officers are advised that the shooter is contained in a room on the west aspect.

After that, there performs out on the recordings the multiple hour of confusion and delay earlier than anybody goes to assist the trapped workers and college students in rooms 111 and 112, the catalog of errors that has grow to be a part of the Uvalde tragedy.

Elizondo walked contained in the constructing briefly however principally stood outdoors.

As officers ready for what grew to become the ultimate breach, she supplied to assist a colleague and went to collect provides for him. She was away from the varsity when the gunman was shot and killed.

Within moments, the physique digital camera recordings present, the hallway the place so many had stood grew to become a scene of carnage as officers bought college students out of the school rooms and assessed their accidents.

Elizondo was quickly there, urging college students to “go, go, go” in the event that they had been ready, and never to take a look at their accidents or the blood on the ground. She comforted one boy as an officer checked his wounds, telling him repeatedly that she was there with him, that he could be OK and that his mother and father would quickly be advised.

The footage confirmed she traveled to the hospital in a faculty bus with college students who had been shot and traumatized, once more serving to to handle them.

DPS director Col. Steven McCraw stated in August: “Every one of our officers will undergo scrutiny by the DA and an internal investigation – just because they didn’t violate the law, doesn’t mean they acted appropriately based on our policy.”

Two weeks later official notes of a gathering confirmed McCraw telling captains, “No one is losing their jobs.” McCraw advised CNN he had been misquoted within the minutes and vowed “no one gets a pass.”

He stated he would launch all of the information when he may, however the native district legal professional has requested him not to accomplish that till the felony investigations are accomplished, a course of he has acknowledged may take years.

Prosecutor Christina Mitchell Busbee will cost anybody who has dedicated against the law at Robb Elementary, together with legislation enforcement officers, she’s stated.

CNN reached out to the Department of Public Safety, which declined to remark for this story.

A coalition of news organizations together with CNN is suing the DPS for information relating to the investigation which were withheld from the media and public.

So far, the one individual recognized to have misplaced their job over the response to the taking pictures has been college police chief Pedro “Pete” Arredondo, who was fired by the varsity board in August. Arredondo grew to become the figurehead of the failed response, although he has stated he didn’t take into account himself the incident commander and has known as to be reinstated.

Elizondo earned a base wage of $59,715 at DPS, according to a database compiled by The Texas Tribune, reflecting a 12% elevate a 12 months in the past. She joined the division in 2018.

Her new wage shouldn’t be recognized, however a job posting for a similar role has a decrease wage vary, from $41,584 to $59,158.

That posting lists psychological and bodily calls for of the place, together with an “Ability to effectively deal with personal danger which may include sudden exposure to armed persons … under intense threatening conditions.”

On May 24, as she rode the varsity bus again to Robb Elementary from the hospital, she advised one other officer: “Nothing could prepare you for what they brought out. It was horrible.”