A recent report by a law enforcement training group identified multiple errors in the police response to the Uvalde school massacre. Credit: Courtesy Photo / Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training Center

Parents of the victims in the Robb Elementary School shooting are outraged that Uvalde CISD has hired a former Texas Department of Public Safety trooper now allegedly under investigation for her response to the attack, CNN reports. 

Crimson Elizondo, one of the first state troopers to arrive at the school during the May 24 tragedy, left state employment during the summer for a job on the district’s police force, according to the news network.

Law enforcement personnel involved in the shooting response have faced widespread scorn for taking 77 minutes to enter a classroom and take out the gunman who killed 17 children and two teachers. CNN reports that Elizondo is one of seven DPS officers under investigation for their performance that day.

“We are disgusted and angry at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District’s (UCISD) decision to hire Officer Crimson Elizondo,” representatives for the Uvalde families said in a statement supplied to CNN. “Her hiring puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD’s HR and vetting practices.”

Elizondo was one of the first of 376 law enforcement personnel to arrive at the school, according to CNN, which reported that body-cam video largely shows her standing outside the school while the response unfolded.

At one point, the camera picks up Elizondo saying, “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside. I promise you that,” the news organization also reports.

Parents told CNN they didn’t know Elizondo was under investigation. It’s also unclear whether the district knew DPS had her under review. 

Elizondo declined to speak to CNN, and district officials were unavailable at press time. 

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This article appears in Oct 5-18, 2022.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...