Uvalde parents were outraged the school district hired a cop who was being investigated for her conduct during the mass shooting. Now she's been fired.

  • A Texas DPS officer under investigation for her conduct during the Robb Elementary School shooting has been hired at the Uval school district, CNN reported.

  • Uvalde parents told CNN they are "disgusted" and "uneasy" with the district's decision to hire Crimson Elizondo.

  • Since the parents pushed back against Elizondo's hiring, she has been fired from her post.

One of the seven Texas Department of Public Safety officers being investigated for their conduct during the deadly Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde, Texas, was hired as a police officer for the school district, CNN reported.

And Uvalde parents were "disgusted" with the move, according to CNN.

But after pushback from district parents, Elizondo has been fired from her new post.

"We are deeply distressed by the information that was disclosed yesterday evening concerning one of our recently hired employees, Crimson Elizondo. We sincerely apologize to the victim's families and the greater Uvalde community for the pain that this revelation has caused," a statement from a district spokesperson shared with Insider said.

"Effective today (October 6), Crimson Elizondo has been terminated from her position with the Uvalde CISD," the statement said.

Parents told CNN before the news of Elizondo's firing that they were frustrated that one of the 376 law enforcement officers that allowed a gunman to barricade himself inside a classroom full of students and teachers for 77 minutes — killing 19 students and 2 teachers — would be tasked with protecting their kids every day.

State Senator Roland Gutierrez echoed parents' concerns in a statement shared with Insider.

"DPS and whoever allowed this officer to be put on the payroll and stationed in our schools just slapped this community in the face," Gutierrez said. "There is a callous disregard within Abbott's government for the families of the victims, the students who survived, and for an entire community still in mourning."

Gutierrez also called for DPS Director Steve McCraw's firing, asking Gov. Abbott to "finally show an ounce of leadership and empathy for Uvalde families."

As parents brought their children to Uvalde Elementary for the new school year, some told CNN they recognized Elizondo from the body camera footage on the day of the shooting.

"We are disgusted and angry at Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District's (UCISD) decision to hire Officer Crimson Elizondo. Her hiring puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD's HR and vetting practices," according to a statement from family representatives obtained by CNN.

The statement adds that all department officers under investigation for their conduct during the shooting should be suspended while the investigation is underway, CNN reported.

The parents also reported urged the district to release the results of the third-party investigation to the public and to the families of the victims.

"Our children have been taken from us. We will not stop fighting until we have answers and we ensure the safety of the children in our community is the top priority," the statement said, CNN reported.

Texas DPS and Uvalde School Board did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.

After the district announced at a town hall meeting in August that at least 33 DPS officers would join the district's security team, parent Brett Cross, who is the legal guardian of killed student Uziyah Garcia, told CNN he was assured by Uvalde Superintendent Hal Harrell that any new hires in the district would not be DPS officers who responded to the shooting in May.

"I'm absolutely appalled," Cross told CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Cross added that the school board offered to pull the officers from their posts and place them at off-campus roles.

Cross told CNN he'll continue to hold a vigil outside of the school board offices until all officers under investigation are suspended.

Read the original article on Insider