US: School district in Uvalde Texas suspends entire police force amidst ongoing probe into May shooting

The school district in Uvalde, Texas, announced last week that it is suspending the entire police force. The suspension comes amidst an ongoing investigation into the mass shooting that took place back in May.

The school district issued a statement on its website Friday last week saying that it was suspending the entire police force. The suspension comes in the face of an ongoing investigation by authorities into the mass shooting in May that killed 19 students and two teachers. The district said the police force consisted of five officers and one security guard.

The district was waiting for the results of the probe of the Texas Police Chiefs Association as well as an outside company into the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School. The findings are expected to be released later this month.

The district said it decided to suspend the police force due to “recent developments have uncovered additional concerns with department operations.” The district also said that one officer, Lieutenant Miguel Hernandez, was also placed on administrative leave in light of the developments. Ken Mueller, who serves as the director of student services, was also placed on administrative leave and will be retiring, according to the district.

This comes as the police department in the area has come under scrutiny for its response to the shooting, including the delayed response by officers in reaching the gunman while he was in a classroom. Pete Arredondo, who led the small police force in charge of patrolling the school grounds, was fired back in August.

The district said it requested additional officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to provide campus security.

In other related news, two people were shot on Sunday outside the home of Republican New York Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin. Zeldin made addressing crime and violence the center of his campaign, as he is running against Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul.

Media reports said the shooting was unrelated to Zeldin’s family. The Republican congressman was previously attacked at a campaign event back in July. The assailant is facing federal charges of assaulting a member of Congress with a deadly weapon. There has been no connection between the Sunday shooting and the July incident.