Texas School Shooting: Uvalde School District Hits Police Force with Severe Punishment Over Tragedy

The entire district police force in Uvalde, Texas, has been suspended Friday after receiving scathing criticism for its police department's shortcomings during and after the Texas school shooting on May 24.

A few hours later, Hal Harrell, who was in charge of the Uvalde school district, said he would retire.

ABC News noted that Harrell's retirement date had not been set, but the school board will talk privately about the change on Monday.

In light of the police department's suspension, the district said it had asked for more Texas Department of Public Safety troopers stationed on campuses and at extracurricular events.

It added, "We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition."

Uvalde Police Officials Placed on Administrative Leave Following Uvalde School Shooting

According to the district's statement, it has decided to suspend all the Uvalde CISD Police Department's activities for a period. Currently, employed officers are set to fill other roles in the district.

In the statement, it is also said that Lieutenant Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller have been put on administrative leave and that Mueller has decided to retire, CNN reported.

Pete Arredondo, the former chief of the school district's police department, was removed by the school system's board, and Hernandez assumed control of the force.

Arredondo initially took much of the heat for the law enforcement agency's slow response in apprehending the gunman at the Texas school shooting.

Arredondo, one of the first police officers on the site of the shooting, claimed he never saw himself as an incident commander that state police had assigned.

The chief will "become the person in control of the efforts of all law enforcement and first responders that arrive at the scene." According to the active-shooter response plan for the school district, which Arredondo co-authored.

School District Terminates a Uvalde Police

This week, the school board fired a newly hired district police officer after it was found out that she was one of the first state troopers to arrive at Robb Elementary on May 24, the day of the Uvalde School Shooting, which killed 19 students and two teachers and was the bloodiest in Texas history. The police's slow response has come under investigation.

Crimson Elizondo was fired when CNN reported that the Uvalde police was one of the five former and current Department of Public Safety officers under investigation following the Texas school shooting.

The school district police department hired Elizondo when she left her DPS job, and Gov. Greg Abbott said that the school district had asked DPS about Elizondo.

According to Texas Tribune, a DPS memo to Hernandez on July 28 claims that "actions inconsistent with training and Department requirements" regarding Elizondo remained under investigation.

Reports say that Hernandez had confirmed receiving the memo by writing, "Got it, thank you so much, MRH." News report added that "MRH" is Hernandez's initials.

There were 376 police officers at the Robb Elementary shooting, but none took charge immediately and organized the situation.

Nearly everyone in a position of power failed to stop the gunman due to "systemic failures and egregious poor decision making," according to a Texas House investigation.

Meanwhile, whether Elizondo started at Uvalde police before or after Hernandez received the memo from DPS is not stated.

Moreover, the duration of the school district police suspension remains unknown.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

WATCH: Uvalde school officer fired over shooting response - From CBS Evening News