BELOW SUPERNAV drop zone ⇩

Texas reinstates trooper ousted after Uvalde school shooting probe

Investigators search for evidence outside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, May 25, 2022, after an 18-year-old gunman killed 19 students and two teachers.

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

MAIN AREA TOP drop zone ⇩

Texas’s Department of Public Safety reinstated a state trooper this week who was suspended after the botched response to the Uvalde, Texas, school shooting in 2022.

DPS Director Col. Steve McCraw wrote to Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell, who was ousted following the shooting at Robb Elementary School, to inform the officer that he removed the suspension status and restored his job, The Associated Press reported.

McCraw, in the letter dated Aug. 2, said the local district attorney requested Kindell be able to return to his past position and said he had not been charged by the local grand jury tasked with investigating the shooting earlier this year.

In May 2022, an 18-year-old gunman entered the school and killed two teachers, 19 students and injured 17 others.

Several reports found that the law enforcement response that day resulted in nearly 400 members of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies standing outside the elementary school for 77 minutes while the gunman was inside.

The Department of Justice released its findings in a scathing report.

Families of the victims renewed calls for police officers to face charges. Only two officers face criminal charges. Both have pleaded not guilty, according to CNN.

Since the shooting, Kindell and at least four others lost their jobs. Another officer retired and one resigned.

Kindell was initially suspended in January 2023 when a termination letter from McCraw said he did “not conform to department standards” and should have acted in an active shooter response, not one involving a barricaded person, the AP reported.

McCraw said he had been informed by Uvalde County District Attorney Christina Mitchell that a grand jury reviewed the actions of all officers and “no action was taken on officers employed by the Texas Department of Public Safety.”

Southwest

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

Site Settings Survey

 

MAIN AREA MIDDLE drop zone ⇩

Trending on NewsNation

MAIN AREA BOTTOM drop zone ⇩

tt

KC Chiefs parade shooting: 1 dead, 21 shot including 9 kids | Morning in America

Witness of Chiefs parade shooting describes suspect | Banfield

Kansas City Chiefs parade shooting: Mom of 2 dead, over 20 shot | Banfield

WWE star Ashley Massaro 'threatened' by board to keep quiet about alleged rape: Friend | Banfield

Friend of WWE star: Ashley Massaro 'spent hours' sobbing after alleged rape | Banfield

Sunny

la

66°F Sunny Feels like 66°
Wind
4 mph SSW
Humidity
33%
Sunrise
Sunset

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
52°F Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 52F. Winds light and variable.
Wind
4 mph S
Precip
16%
Sunset
Moon Phase
Waxing Gibbous