Don McLaughlin, Mayor of Uvalde, stated Sunday that the acting chief of police for the Robb Elementary School shooting incident has been placed on administrative leave.
McLaughlin stated that Lt. Mariano Pargas was placed on administrative leave in order to determine if he was responsible for the commanding of the school after a gunman entered and killed 21 students, including 19 children, on May 24.
This announcement was made after the publication of a 77-page document that criticised both federal and state law enforcement. It also criticised local authorities in South Texas for inaction by heavily armed officers while the gunman was killing students.
The report states that 376 law enforcement officers were present at the school. The vast majority of those who responded were from federal and state law enforcement. This included almost 150 U.S. Border Patrol agents as well as 91 state police officers.
According to the report, many of the hundreds of law-enforcement responders who raced to the school were more trained and equipped than the school’s district police. The Texas Department of Public Safety head, which is the state police force, was previously blamed for not getting into the room sooner.
A Texas House of Representatives investigative committee wrote the report, which is the most comprehensive account yet of the haphazard and indecisive response to the May 24, massacre. It was released to loved ones on Sunday.
