On Tuesday, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) revealed that the Uvalde school district’s police chief is no longer cooperating with state investigators and has not replied to information requests for two days.
The Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District police have continued to work with authorities, according to Travis Considine, a DPS spokesperson.
In Friday’s press conference, the director of DPS, Col. Steven McCraw, stated the delayed police reaction to the mass shooting was “the wrong decision.” Since then, local officials have been under fire.
It is unknown if the criticism is why Pete Arredondo, the school district’s police chief, ceased complying with investigators.
“The Uvalde Police Department and Uvalde CISD Police have been cooperating with investigators,” according to a statement from DPS. “The chief of the Uvalde CISD Police provided an initial interview but has not responded to a request for a follow-up interview with the Texas Rangers that was made two days ago.”
Since last week’s tragedy that left 19 children and two teachers dead at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, the authorities have been working to piece all of the clues together, including the allegations that a back door was propped open, allowing the 18-year-old gunman to enter the building.
The lawyer for the teacher accused of leaving the door open disputed this claim on Tuesday. DPS now believes the teacher closed the door when she realized a gunman was in the area, but the automatic lock malfunctioned. The agency is examining why the lock did not function properly, according to Considine.
“She kicked the rock away when she went back in,” said her lawyer, Don Flanary, to San Antonio Express-News. “She remembers pulling the door closed while telling 911 that he was shooting. She thought the door would lock because that door is always supposed to be locked.”
Surveillance video and audio confirm that the teacher moved the rock that kept the door open, then closed it, according to law enforcement.