Texas DPS will no longer penalize officers for returning fire in Uvalda

UWALDE, Texas – The Texas Department of Public Safety has completed an internal investigation into how seven of its soldiers reacted to the shooting at Uvalde School, and none will face further punishment, the agency confirmed on Thursday.

The agency fired one officer, Sgt. Juan Maldonado and tries to eliminate another, Ranger Christopher Kindell. A third, soldier Crimson Elizondo, resigned before the investigation into her behavior was completed. She was later hired by the Uvalde Unified Independent School District Police Department, who fired her after members of the community criticized the move.

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DPS spokesman Travis Considine said Thursday that the four remaining soldiers have been cleared. The agency did not publicly announce the completion of the investigation; Director Steve McCraw told reporters after a budget hearing at the Texas Capitol on Thursday that no other officers would be disciplined.

Why Kindell and Maldonado were punished remains unclear. 91 DPS officers responded to the shooting, second only to the US Border Guard Service.

The agency has faced criticism because no DPS officer has taken responsibility for the chaotic law enforcement response, although McCraw has criticized that the school district’s superintendent did not.

The Texas House Select Committee to Investigate the Shooting blamed all officers, including those from the DPS, for the disastrous response. Law enforcement waited over an hour to confront the shooter who killed 19 students and two teachers.

McCraw resisted calls to step down due to his agency’s handling of the shooting from the families of some of the victims and state senator Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, who vehemently criticized DPS in the aftermath of the tragedy.

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McCraw reaffirmed that stance Thursday, telling reporters that the Texans are “stuck with me for now… I’ll be here for a while.”

Correction, February 9, 2023, 7:53 pm.: An earlier version of this story erroneously stated that DPS director Steve McCraw’s comments were made on Wednesday. They were made on Thursday.

This article first appeared in the Texas Tribune. Read more here: Texas DPS will no longer penalize officers for returning fire in Uvalda