Uvalde, Tx., school officials quickly backpedaled from their hiring of a former state trooper as a school security officer despite being under investigation for her reaction to the school massacre in May. They announcing her firing after negative publicity and parental outrage, CNN reports. Although school officials had assured parents that their new security hires would exclude officers blamed for their neglectful handling of the shooting, the newly hired officer, Crimson Elizondo, was in fact one of the state troopers who arrived at Robb Elementary within two minutes of the gunman entering the school and opening fire. She was seen in her uniform, handgun drawn, outside the school building in Uvalde, as well as in the hallway, according to footage from another law enforcement officer. She can be heard on body camera footage talking to fellow officers when someone asked if she had children at the school that day. “If my son had been in there, I would not have been outside,” she said. “I promise you that.”
Elizondo is one of the seven officers being investigated, and no longer works for the Texas Department of Public Safety. Prior to her termination, she was hired as a police officer during the summer for the Uvalde School District. Superintendent Hal Harrell held a town meeting and said that at least 33 DPS officers will be deployed to the district's eight schools. It is unclear whether the school district knew of the investigation when Elizondo was hired. The Uvalde School District Police were informed as early as July 28 that Elizondo was subject to investigation by the department’s Office of Inspector General for actions “inconsistent with training and department requirements,” according to documents obtained by CNN in a public records request. It is not clear from the letter which actions were subject to investigation. Her initial hiring "puts into question the credibility and thoroughness of UCISD’s HR and vetting practices,” according to a statement from family representatives.