Texas ranger reinstated after Uvalde shooting investigation

Texas Ranger Christopher Ryan Kindell has been reinstated after being suspended during investigations into the botched response to the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde. This decision was communicated in a letter from Col. Steven McCraw, head of the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).

Kindell had been suspended in October 2022, with the department later moving to terminate him in January 2023.

McCraw stated in the letter dated August 2, obtained by CNN on Monday, that his decision was based on reviews of the Texas Ranger criminal investigation into the May 24, 2022 shooting, an internal review of DPS officers’ actions, and a review by the Uvalde Grand Jury.

The letter noted that 38th Judicial District Attorney Christina Mitchell confirmed the grand jury reviewed all law enforcement officers who responded, with no action taken against DPS officers. Mitchell had requested Kindell’s reinstatement.

The Robb Elementary School shooting resulted in the deaths of 19 children and two teachers, making it one of the deadliest K-12 school shootings in the US. It took 376 officers on the scene 77 minutes to confront and kill the gunman after he entered the school through an unlocked door. Over 90 DPS officers were among the first responders.

Kindell had told investigators that his actions during the incident were minimal, as sources close to the investigation previously informed CNN. He did not discuss breaching the classroom, a typical expectation for his role. Surveillance and body camera footage showed him speaking on the phone multiple times and present in the school hallway as gunfire was heard.

In the footage, Kindell is heard saying, “He’s still shooting,” while on the phone. Moments later, he walked towards the classrooms, appearing to offer to negotiate with the gunman, asking, “Does anyone know this kid’s name? I’ll try to talk to him.”

The Texas Rangers are an elite unit within DPS, with stringent recruitment standards and a storied history. Former Ranger Captain Bob Crowder is quoted on the DPS website, emphasising the Rangers’ ability to handle any situation without direct instructions.

Former Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District Police Chief Pete Arredondo and former school police officer Adrian Gonzales are the only officers indicted on criminal charges so far. Arredondo faces 10 counts of child endangerment and criminal negligence, while Gonzales faces 29 counts of abandoning and endangering a child. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Arredondo, described as the de facto on-scene commander, is accused of failing to recognize the incident as an active shooting and not taking proper action, placing children in imminent danger. He was fired in August 2022 by the school board.

Gonzales, who left the school district in February 2023, is accused of failing to engage or delay the shooter and not acting to impede him until after he entered rooms 111 and 112, where children were shot. Gonzales said he was one of the first officers to arrive and entered the south hallway with Arredondo after hearing shots, but left the building as he couldn’t use his radio inside. He spent much of the time waiting with emergency medics outside the west door and found a set of keys and a school plan requested by a Texas Ranger.

Both Arredondo and Gonzales were released on a $10,000 bond. Gonzales’ next hearing is set for mid-September.