Uvalde Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez announced his resignation on Tuesday. This came just days after a controversial city council report exonerated his officers in their much-criticized response to the horrific mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
In a statement, Rodriguez said he would “embark on a new chapter in my career.” He noted his 26 years of service to Uvalde and did not mention the tragedy.
But it is the horrific massacre carried out by a teenage gunman on May 24, 2022 that he will be remembered for. Rodriguez was out of town on vacation at the time of the shooting.
Last week, the Uvalde City Council released a report absolving local law enforcement of wrongdoing and charges of incompetence in their response to the attack. This despite widespread conclusions by experts that much more could have been done to save the victims.
A full 77 minutes went by before tactical gear arrived and officers entered the classroom where the shooter was holed up.
A total of 19 children and two teachers were massacred, and another 17 people were injured in the incident. The shooter was ultimately killed by police.
Police Chief Daniel Rodriguez was on vacation in Arizona the day a gunman shot and killed 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary School. https://t.co/YpLiFS9VLT
— WMAR-2 News (@WMAR2News) March 13, 2024
The city council report excused the department’s response to the attack. But this observation was widely panned and outraged many parents of the victims.
Hours after his announcement, Rodriguez did not attend a Uvalde City Council meeting. Families expressed their continued desire for action to be taken against officers who responded to the scene but failed to confront the teenage shooter.
Jesse Rizo, whose niece Jacklyn Cazares was one of the victims asked, “What does Daniel do today? He doesn’t show up. Just like his crew didn’t show up that day.”
The city hired a private investigator to probe the reaction to the attack. The report that followed conceded mistakes were made but decided that officers should not be subject to adverse consequences.
Mayor Cody Smith told the crowd that it was too early to react to the private investigator’s report. This did not appease family members who sharply criticized Rodriguez’s absence.
His resignation takes effect April 6.
