Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (CISD) Police Department fired a former Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) trooper from her position as a school officer Thursday after it was revealed she was under investigation for her response to the May 24 massacre at Robb Elementary.
Crimson Elizondo was one of the 91 DPS troopers and 376 total law enforcement personnel that responded to Robb Elementary on the day of the shooting and waited for 77 minutes outside the classrooms where 19 students and two teachers were killed before special agents from Border Patrol killed the gunman.
The law enforcement response to the attack has been denounced as an “abject failure” by DPS Director Steve McCraw. The school district’s police chief was fired, and seven DPS officers, including Elizondo, are being investigated for their actions on the day of the massacre.
Elizondo resigned from the DPS shortly after the shooting and was hired by Uvalde CISD over the summer.
After CNN broke the news Wednesday that Elizondo was, in fact, one of the DPS officers being investigated, Uvalde CISD terminated her employment Thursday.
“We are deeply distressed by the information that was disclosed yesterday evening concerning one of our recently hired employees, Crimson Elizondo,” read a statement from Uvalde CISD. “We sincerely apologize to the victim’s families and the greater Uvalde community for the pain that this revelation has caused.”
Body camera footage released by the City of Uvalde shows that Elizondo was one of the first officers who arrived at Robb Elementary, entering the school within two minutes of the gunman.
The four-year veteran of the DPS reportedly entered the building without the tactical body armor or long rifle that troopers are trained to bring in active shooter situations.
Elizondo apparently remained in the building only briefly. Most of her time was spent outside the school while students and staff remained trapped in the classrooms with the 18-year-old gunman for 77 minutes.
She can reportedly later be heard on the body camera footage responding to an officer who asked if she had children in the school, saying, “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that.”
Elizondo declined to provide a comment to CNN.
Family members of the victims said they recognized Elizondo from the body camera footage released by the City when they returned to classes in September.
Children and parents walked past her as they headed into the school year at Uvalde Elementary, the new home for the students who survived the Robb Elementary massacre.
“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,” a statement from family representatives read.
The statement called for the suspension of all Uvalde CISD police officers and a third-party investigation, whose results “must be released” to the public and the victims’ families.
“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,” the statement read.
Thursday in New Braunfels, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was asked about his confidence in DPS director McCraw in light of Uvalde CISD hiring Elizondo. Abbott claimed Uvalde CISD was warned Elizondo was under investigation and asserted that district officials, “not DPS, not anybody else, have to own up to the poor decision they made.”
