Uvalde Police Chief Resigns After School Shooting Report Clears Officers of Wrongdoing

Reggie Daniels pays his respects a memorial at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on June 9, 2022. Eric Gay, File/AP Photo

The police chief of Uvalde, Texas, is set to resign—effective April 6—just days after a city council report cleared several officers who responded to the May 2022 shooting at Robb Elementary School of wrongdoing.

Uvalde Mayor Cody Smith announced Chief Daniel Rodriguez’s resignation in a statement while thanking him for his 26 years of service to the community.

“We wish him the best as he pursues new career opportunities,” Mr. Smith said.

Assistant Chief of Police Homer Delgado will be named interim chief of police, according to Mr. Smith. He noted that he and the city manager would search for a full-time replacement in consultation with the city council.

“Nothing is more important than the safety of our community, and we look forward to working together to identify the best candidate to serve the people of Uvalde,” Mr. Smith said.

Mr. Rodriguez also confirmed his resignation in a letter to the city, writing that the decision followed “deep contemplation and consideration.”

“I believe it is time for me to embrace a new chapter in my career,” he wrote. “I want to express my deepest appreciation to all of my colleagues and team members for their unwavering support, professionalism, and dedication to our mission of serving and protecting the community. It has been a privilege to work alongside such talented and committed individuals, and I will miss our collaborations and camaraderie dearly.”

Report Clears Police of Wrongdoing

Mr. Rodriguez noted he has “full confidence that the police department will continue to thrive under new leadership,” adding that he wishes “nothing but the best for the organization and its members in the future.”

Chief Rodriguez was not in Uvalde on the day of the shooting at Robb Elementary School, which killed 19 children and two teachers, as he was out of town on vacation in Arizona.

However, he did speak briefly with then-Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was assigned to be acting chief that day, according to a report (pdf) commissioned by the city and published last week. Mr. Pargas stepped down in November 2022.

The report—conducted by Austin-based investigator and former police detective Jesse Prado—acknowledged that police failures left nearly 400 members of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies standing outside of the school for 77 minutes while the killer remained inside.

Officers Acted ‘In Good Faith’

However, it noted officers had followed the Uvalde Police Department’s policies and had acted “in good faith.”

“No evidence of serious acts of misconduct in direct violation of Uvalde Police Department’s policies was found” in the behavior of the officers in response to the incident, the report stated.

The report followed a separate one by the Department of Justice in January that found a lack of communication and “cascading” lapses in leadership, including in decision-making, tactics, and policy, led to the botched response to the shooting.

“The most significant failure was that responding officers should have immediately recognized the incident as an active shooter situation, using the resources and equipment that were sufficient to push forward immediately and continuously toward the threat until entry was made into classrooms 111/112 and the threat was eliminated,” the report reads.

A separate 77-page report issued by the Texas House of Representatives contained similar findings to the DOJ’s report.

To date, no officers have been charged in connection with the incident or the police response, however, five law enforcement officers have lost their jobs following the shooting, including a Department of Public Safety officer and the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was acting as the incident commander.