UVALDE (Nexstar/KXAN) — After previous plans for termination, the Texas Department of Public Safety has reinstated a Texas Ranger who was suspended for more than a year over his response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde.
DPS Director Steven McCraw informed Texas Ranger Ryan Kindell on Friday that he would be removed from suspension and allowed to return to his position in Uvalde County, after a grand jury there determined Kindell did not break protocol or laws in his response to the mass shooting. This is according to documents obtained by Nexstar on Monday.
In May 2022, a lone gunman killed 19 children and two teachers in conjoined classrooms at Robb Elementary in Uvalde. It took 77 minutes for law enforcement officers from dozens of federal, state and local agencies to breach the classroom and take down the 18-year-old gunman. In total, there were 376 law enforcement officers who responded.
“I have decided to alter my preliminary decision based upon a review of the completed Texas Ranger criminal investigation,” McCraw wrote. “An internal review of the actions of Texas Department of Public Safety officers who responded to the attack and subsequent to the review by the Uvalde County grand jury of the law enforcement response at Robb Elementary.”
McCraw has previously told Nexstar that he was waiting on the completion of an internal criminal investigation, as well as the Uvalde County grand jury findings, before making a final decision about Kindell’s job status.
In his Friday letter, McCraw noted Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell and the grand jury did not find Kindell had any criminal culpability for his response to the shooting.
“The Uvalde grand jury reviewed all law enforcement officers who responded to the attack at Robb Elementary and no action was taken on officers employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety. Further, [Mitchell] has requested that you be reinstated to your former position,” McCraw wrote.
The DA’s findings are consistent with internal records obtained by KXAN in a 2023 investigation, which showed the two highest-ranking Texas Rangers said Kindell should not face repercussions based on his actions that day.
McCraw’s initial determination to terminate Kindell went against the recommendations of the chief and assistant chief of the Texas Rangers who found there is a “lack of evidence” to suggest Kindell should have acted differently on May 24, 2022.
Nexstar was able to reach Kindell’s attorney, who declined to comment at this time.
Ranger Kindell’s response to the shooting, according to an internal investigation
Kindell — a veteran officer with more than 20 years of experience at DPS and no disciplinary action on his file — was working from home on May 24, 2022, when he received a phone call from the Uvalde District Attorney’s Office Chief Investigator informing him about a possible active school shooter, according to the OIG report obtained by KXAN.
According to the OIG report, Kindell contacted Uvalde Police Department Sgt. Donald Page who confirmed “there was an unknown individual at Robb Elementary, armed with a rifle, and actively shooting inside the school building,” and requested Kindell’s assistance as well as all DPS assets.
Kindell informed his commanding officer of the developing situation and responded to Robb Elementary.
According to DPS reports, there were more than 50 officers on-scene when Kindell arrived, 41 of whom were already inside the school.
Other responding officers who faced disciplinary action
Former Uvalde CISD Police Chief Pete Arredondo was the first law enforcement official to be fired over the police response that day. Through his attorney, Arredondo has said he did not know he was the designated incident commander for the response, despite the UCISD active shooter policy “directing its police chief to assume command.”
Arredondo and former Uvalde CISD police officer Adrian Gonzales both face criminal charges for their response, as a result of the Uvalde grand jury’s review of law enforcement action.
In June, the two were indicted on felony charges of child endangerment and abandonment for their roles in response to the second-worst mass shooting in American history.
UPD acting chief of police Lt. Mariano Pargas resigned from his position in November, days before the city was set to take a vote on his employment.
Of the 91 DPS officers who responded to Robb Elementary on May 24, seven were put under investigation for their response to the shooting. Actions were taken against two officers, Ranger Ryan Kindell and Sgt. Juan Maldonado. Maldonado was served with termination papers but retired before his termination was finalized.
A third DPS employee, Trooper Crimson Elizondo, retired and then went to work as a police officer with UCISD. Elizondo was fired from the district in October, after media reports revealed her new employment with UCISD, despite the fact that she had been under investigation by DPS for her response to the shooting.
After terminating Elizondo, UCISD suspended its entire police department and placed two top officials, Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Student Services Director Ken Mueller, on administrative leave. Mueller has since retired.
McCraw told KXAN in February 2023 that no additional Rangers will face repercussions for their actions at Robb Elementary.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.