New Questions Over Actions of State Police in Uvalde School Shooting - The New York Times

HOUSTON — When gunfire erupted astatine Robb Elementary School, Capt. Joel Betancourt of the Texas authorities constabulary rushed toward the country successful the metropolis of Uvalde from the borderline municipality respective miles distant wherever helium was moving that outpouring day.

He rapidly called the politician and the main of police, according to cellphone records obtained by The New York Times. The skipper aboriginal told investigators helium had been told that the gunman was barricaded wrong the school, according to a idiosyncratic with cognition of the investigation.

Acting connected that information, the idiosyncratic said, Captain Betancourt told authorities constabulary officers astatine the schoolhouse to stay extracurricular and found a perimeter, alternatively than rushing inside, arsenic constabulary protocol for progressive shooters would person dictated.

It was not instantly wide erstwhile that connection was conveyed during the much than hourlong response.

But Captain Betancourt’s actions are present the taxable of an interior probe by the Texas Department of Public Safety into its ain officers’ handling of the May 24 schoolhouse shooting, 1 that includes astatine slightest six different authorities constabulary officers.

On Friday, the section issued termination papers to 1 of the officers, Sgt. Juan Maldonado, according to 2 radical briefed connected the decision. Sergeant Maldonado was 1 of the archetypal officers to get astatine the school, but could beryllium seen connected assemblage camera video staying successful a doorway to the schoolhouse alternatively of heading toward the gunfire inside.

Sergeant Maldonado, a nationalist accusation officer, was being terminated arsenic a effect of his actions oregon inaction connected May 24, according to 1 of the radical who was briefed by a top-ranking section official. The sergeant did not respond to a petition for comment.

A section spokeswoman confirmed quality of the termination determination precocious Friday night. “The section tin corroborate Sgt. Juan Maldonado was served with termination papers today,” said the spokeswoman, Ericka Miller.

The section is acceptable to sermon the Uvalde effect astatine a gathering of its authorities oversight board, the Public Safety Commission, this Thursday.

For months, scrutiny of the instrumentality enforcement effect had centered connected the section police, peculiarly the actions of Pete Arredondo, who during the shooting was the caput of the tiny constabulary unit liable for Uvalde’s schools and, connected paper, was meant to beryllium the incidental commandant during a schoolhouse shooting.

Briefing authorities lawmakers astatine a proceeding successful June, the manager of the authorities police, Steven McCraw, described Mr. Arredondo arsenic “the lone happening stopping the hallway of dedicated officers from entering” the classrooms wherever the gunman was holed up. Mr. Arredondo was fired implicit the summer. The remainder of the field Police Department was suspended this month.

But questions person besides emerged implicit the relation of the Department of Public Safety successful the protracted constabulary effect to the May 24 shooting, successful which 19 children and 2 teachers died.

A ocular probe by The Times found delays by officers from respective antithetic agencies, including the national Border Patrol and the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The section had 91 officers respond to the schoolhouse that day, and its Texas Rangers are starring the probe into some the shooting and the constabulary response, which Mr. McCraw has called an “abject failure.”

The department’s abstracted interior investigation, conducted by its inspector general, has appeared to absorption chiefly connected the officers who were physically contiguous astatine the schoolhouse and not connected decisions that whitethorn person been made by elder leaders successful Austin.

“We’ve been saying each on that D.P.S. is lying to the community,” said State Senator Roland Gutierrez, citing Mr. McCraw’s comments, days aft the shooting, that blamed Mr. Arredondo and laid retired what was becoming a shifting communicative astir different facts, specified arsenic the unlocked doorway done which the gunman entered the school.

The dilatory revelation of problems with the chaotic constabulary effect — which a State House committee described arsenic a “systemic failure” — has repeatedly revived and added to the misery of Uvalde families inactive coping with their loss.

“It’s upsetting. It’s disheartening,” said Jesse Rizo, whose niece, Jackie Cazares, 9, was killed successful the shooting. “Every clip thing similar this comes out, it doesn’t daze america anymore, but you deliberation to yourself, ‘What other went wrong?’”

Captain Betancourt was seen arsenic a rising prima wrong the Department of Public Safety, and a cardinal portion of Gov. Greg Abbott’s propulsion to impact authorities constabulary successful instrumentality enforcement astir the borderline with Mexico arsenic portion of his broader Operation Lone Star mission.

“To me, he’s an outstanding officer,” said Sheriff Tom Schmerber of Maverick County, on the border, who worked with Captain Betancourt. “He’s ever helping the sheriffs.”

Captain Betancourt’s enactment connected the borderline information operation, crisscrossing the portion for meetings with landowners and section instrumentality enforcement, made him among the department’s highest paid members, earning much than $160,000 successful overtime connected apical of his yearly wage of $120,000, according to 2 radical with cognition of the operation.

He became a acquainted look astir Uvalde arsenic well, gathering regularly successful caller months with Sheriff Ruben Nolasco and the territory attorney, including shortly earlier the shooting astatine Robb Elementary.

The gunman began firing wrong the schoolhouse astatine 11:33 a.m. with a legally purchased AR-15 rifle. Captain Betancourt did not get astatine the schoolhouse until astir 12:30 p.m. oregon later, Mr. McCraw said successful an interrogation with The Times this month. He was among the astir elder D.P.S. officers to get astatine the country earlier a tactical squad made up mostly of national borderline agents killed the gunman astatine 12:50 p.m.

It is not wide what relation his bid to officers to clasp backmost and found a perimeter astir the schoolhouse had connected the delayed response: Some D.P.S. officers entered the school, though nary stormed the classroom.

Once helium arrived astatine the school, however, Captain Betancourt issued different command, according to an audio signaling from the country published by CNN. This 1 was seemingly directed to an advertisement hoc radical of agents and a sheriff’s lawman who were yet entering the classrooms to face the gunman. One of the officers — equipped with an earpiece and tiny microphone — heard implicit the vigor a dependable telling them not to breach the schoolroom doors.

“Hey, this is D.P.S. Captain Betancourt. The squad that’s going to marque breach, I request you to basal by,” a antheral tin beryllium heard saying successful the audio. Two radical with cognition of the probe said that the audio was authentic.

The breach proceeded, and the gunman was killed.

In the interrogation with The Times, Mr. McCraw said that Captain Betancourt’s directives to officers arsenic helium drove to the schoolhouse and his actions erstwhile helium arrived determination were “under investigation.”

“He’s trying to get accusation is what helium was doing,” Mr. McCraw said. “He wasn’t successful a presumption to nonstop immoderate D.P.S. resources.”

But according to documents obtained by CNN, astatine slightest immoderate Department of Public Safety officers astatine the country appeared to judge that the skipper was issuing orders. “I heard idiosyncratic outcry out, Capt. Betancourt said each DPS unit request to beryllium connected perimeter, bash nary participate building,” a authorities constabulary lieutenant wrote soon aft the shooting, according to CNN.

Captain Betancourt told investigators that helium did not archer immoderate officers not to spell wrong the schoolhouse until aft helium had arrived astatine the scene, according to CNN. The skipper did not respond to requests for comment.

Similar messages astir creating a perimeter were being conveyed astatine the country astir from the commencement of the response, according to video reviewed by The Times.

Special Agent Luke Williams was 1 of the authorities constabulary officers who disregarded a petition to stay connected the perimeter of the schoolhouse and entered. “If there’s kids successful there, we request to spell successful there,” helium said, according to the study from the State House committee.

The ranger entered but moved to different portion of the schoolhouse to assistance students successful different classrooms evacuate the school.

Sergeant Maldonado, who lives successful Uvalde, arrived astatine the schoolhouse with the archetypal radical of officers that included Mr. Arredondo.

In video footage reviewed by The Times, the sergeant could beryllium seen holding a doorway open, equipped with a firearm and wearing a tactical vest. Another officer, who stumbled extracurricular aft being changeable astatine by the gunman, could beryllium heard saying, “We’ve got to get successful there.” Sergeant Maldonado responded, “D.P.S. is sending people,” and remained outside.

So did a D.P.S. trooper, Crimson Elizondo, who could beryllium seen connected assemblage camera video lingering extracurricular arsenic others entered the schoolhouse little than 10 minutes aft the shooting began. Over the summer, she near the section for a occupation with the Uvalde schoolhouse Police Department. After immoderate parents objected, the schoolhouse territory fired her.

Another authorities constabulary officer, Ranger Christopher Kindell, could beryllium seen connected video moving connected tactical plans. Later successful the response, Ranger Kindell conferred extensively with Border Patrol agents wrong the schoolhouse who would aboriginal pb the breach team, and continued to confer adjacent aft further gunfire prompted the squad to beforehand to the schoolroom doors astir 12:21 p.m. The squad did not breach the doors for astir 30 much minutes.

The actions of Ranger Kindell, Special Agent Williams and Trooper Elizondo are besides nether interior investigation, according to 1 of the radical with cognition of the inquiry.

Trooper Elizondo did not respond to a petition for comment. Ranger Kindell, reached by phone, declined to comment. Special Agent Williams could not instantly beryllium reached.

Edgar Sandoval contributed reporting from Uvalde, Texas, and Robin Stein from New York.