*The Uvalde, Texas school district has suspended the entire police force over its response to May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School which left 19 students and two teachers dead.
As reported by ABC News, the district noted in its announcement about the suspicion that additional troopers with the Texas Department of Public Safety will be stationed at campuses.
“We are confident that staff and student safety will not be compromised during this transition,” reads a district statement, Complex reports. “Officers currently employed will fill other roles in the district.”
The suspension of the police force comes after the Uvalde school district voted unanimously in August to fire police chief Pete Arredondo over his handling of the mass school shooting.
READ MORE: Uvalde Shooting Report: Multiple Failures and ‘Lackadaisical Approach’ by Law Enforcement | VIDEO
Lt. Miguel Hernandez, who led the response to the elementary school massacre, has been placed on administrative leave, as well as Ken Mueller, director of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District, according to ABC News.
“The District remains committed to resolving issues with verifiable evidence. Decisions concerning the UCISD police department have been pending the results of the Texas Police Chiefs Association and JPPI investigation,” reads the district’s statement. “Recent developments have uncovered additional concerns with department operations.”
Arredondo previously said that he “never considered himself the scene’s incident commander,” during the May 24 massacre that saw 18-year-old Salvador Ramos enter the middle school and open fire. Ramos terrorized the campus for over 75 minutes while police waited in the hallways and outside before shooting and killing the gunman.
In July, a Texas newspaper leaked surveillance video from inside the school during the shooting. We reported previously, via CNN, that one edited video shows Ramos entering the school and walking down the hallway with a long rifle. The recording also shows officers approaching the classroom that the shooter was in, but then retreating down the hallway and taking cover when gunfire is heard. It was more than an hour later before authorities confronted and killed Ramos.
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