Enlarge image
Mourning after the shots: The Uvalde gunman murdered 19 children and two teachers
Photo:
Jae C Hong/AP
A little over four months after the devastating rampage at an elementary school in the US state of Texas, there are further personnel consequences due to the serious omissions in the police operation.
The Uvalde School District announced on Friday the temporary leave of absence for all school district police.
The background to this are several ongoing investigations into the use during the killing spree at Robb Elementary School on May 24, 2022.
Recent developments have raised new concerns about department operations, the school district said in a statement.
'The district has taken the decision to temporarily suspend all activities of the police responsible for the Uvalde school district.
The officers currently employed will assume other duties in the district," said a statement released by the school district.
The police consisted of five officers and a security guard, according to their website.
The school district's controversial police chief was fired at the end of August.
The school district also said it has requested additional officers from the Texas Department of Public Safety to ensure campus security.
An 18-year-old gunman shot dead 19 children and two teachers at the primary school in the small town of Uvalde at the end of May.
The attacker shot his victims in two connected classrooms with an assault rifle.
In addition to the act itself, dramatic omissions in the police operation also caused bewilderment: Accordingly, 19 police officers had already taken up a position in the hallway in front of the classroom in which the gunman had holed himself up with teachers and students.
However, the officers made no attempts to enter the room and stop the perpetrator for more than 45 minutes.
Instead, they waited for reinforcements, although children from inside the room made repeated calls to the police for help.
More than 75 minutes after the shooter opened fire, emergency services entered the classroom and killed the gunman.
Sol/dpa/Reuters