UVALDE, Texas – The acting Uvalde police chief on the day of the Robb Elementary School shooting has resigned from the police force, city officials confirmed Thursday.
Lt. Mariano Pargas was offered a retirement package last week, but the city rescinded it after reports surfaced from CNN, showing that he spoke with a 911 dispatcher on the day of the shooting and knew there was a room “full of victims” but did not act swiftly.
According to CNN, Pargas was told by the dispatcher that eight to nine students at Robb Elementary were possibly still alive at 12:16 p.m. — 45 minutes after the gunman went inside the school.
The gunman wasn’t confronted and killed by law enforcement until 12:50 p.m. The massacre resulted in the deaths of 19 students and two teachers.
Since those reports surfaced, Mayor Don McLaughlin said Pargas would be dismissed from the Uvalde Police Department “by the end of the week,” if not earlier for failing to properly handle the shooting response.
Pargas resigned from his position before the Uvalde City Council’s executive session, planned for Saturday, to discuss his possible termination.
The council’s executive session has since been canceled.
Pargas was previously suspended from the Uvalde Police Department pending an investigation after a report found wide failures by law enforcement during the shooting response.
He was also recently re-elected as Uvalde County Precinct 2 Commissioner after capturing 45% of the vote.