Parents and relatives of victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting are protesting on Thursday morning after the Uvalde CISD police force hired a former Texas Department of Public Safety trooper who was under investigation for her response to the attack.
Crimson Elizondo, who was one of the first DPS troopers to arrive at the scene of the May 24 massacre, was recognized as a UCISD police officer by parents, according to CNN and ABC News. The news was first reported by CNN.
On that day, body cam video showed her in her trooper uniform, standing outside the school and then briefly walking in the hallway near where the gunman was holed up. She mainly remained outside and once the gunman was killed, helped escort other students outside.
Body camera footage captured her saying, “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that,” CNN reported.
The network reported that Elizondo had a gun, but did not retrieve a long rifle or tactical body armor.
The videos showed confusion and delay as the gunman remained in the classroom, eventually killing 19 students and two teachers over the span of 77 minutes.
Last month, KSAT Investigates confirmed that several DPS troopers who responded to the shooting had been under investigation since July.
Their names were redacted in the records obtained by KSAT, but sources told CNN that the investigations included Elizondo.
She left the agency in the summer and was then hired by UCISD, according to the district’s website.
Parents and relatives on Thursday protested outside the district’s administration office and refused to let people enter after the reports surfaced.
Parents and relatives of victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting protest outside district offices on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, after reports showed that Uvalde CISD hired an ex-DPS trooper who was under investigation. (KSAT)
Nikki Cross, the guardian of Uziyah Garcia, told KSAT on Thursday morning that it was “infuriating to find out she was one of the first ones on scene, and she did nothing because it was not her child in there.”
Her husband, Brett, told CNN that school district leaders previously told him they were not going to hire officers from other agencies who responded to the shooting.
Parents, including the Crosses, had already been at the site to protest the superintendent because they believed the district police officers should have been suspended amid the investigation.
Some of the parents of the victims spoke out on Twitter on Wednesday night, also calling for the resignation of Director Steve McCraw.
McCraw WE ARE ALL WAITING FOR YOUR RESIGNATION!!! YOURE NO LEADER IN ANYONE’S EYES!!!!!!
It wasnt your baby, right? Thats why you didnt go in “Officer Elizondo” ? She was there WITHIN MINUTES? But her child wasnt in there so it didnt matter. MY child WAS IN THERE! My child was SCARED! She was in danger! Those babies and 2 teachers were in there! McCraw RESIGN NOW!
What mother would leave another mothers babies in those rooms to die! If this isn’t proof enough, then what the hell is??????? This is proof that @Uvalde_CISD does not care about our children. How can she resign from DPS during an investigation and get hired to work @Uvalde_CISD https://t.co/52Gb2jrq7w
“… If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside, I promise you that.” pic.twitter.com/wMFOf4n3e3
Lives Robbed, a group of parents who are protesting the actions of the district and other law enforcement agencies, released the following statement on Wednesday night:
“We are disgusted and angry at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s (UCISD) decision to hire Officer Crimson Elizondo. Her hiring puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD’s HR and vetting practices. And it confirms what we have been saying all along: UCISD has not and is not in the business of ensuring the safety of our children at school. Given the disturbing information released by CNN this evening: we cannot trust the decisions that have been made in regards to the safety of our schools. Therefore, we are calling for all UCISD officers to be suspended, pending the conclusion of the investigation by JPPI Investigations LLC. The results of this investigation must be released to the families of the victims of the Robb Elementary shooting as well as to the public. Our families have been calling for accountability, and we deserve transparency and justice at the state, local, and federal levels. Our children have been taken from us. We will not stop fighting until we have answers and we ensure the safety of the children in our community is the top priority.”
Parents and relatives of victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting protest outside district offices on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022, after reports showed that Uvalde CISD hired an ex-DPS trooper who was under investigation. (KSAT)
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