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Uvalde county commissioner who was acting police chief during school shooting retires from force

Some of the murals in memory of children who were killed at the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
Jack Morgan
/
TPR
Hope Sanchez carries a sign through the school parking lot that reads, \"we demand accountability and actions\" while walking into the Uvalde school board meeting Wednesday Aug. 24, 2022, at Uvalde High School. The Uvalde school board decided to fire school police chief Pete Arredondo. Nineteen students and two adults died in a shooting at a Robb Elementary School Tuesday, May 24, marking the deadliest school shooting in the state's history.Uvalde School Board Bsa 005

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Lt. Mariano Pargas, who was acting Uvalde police chief during the Robb Elementary School massacre last May, retired from the police department on Thursday, effective immediately.

In a statement to TPR, a public relations executive representing the City of Uvalde explained that "Lt. Pargas retired effectively immediately. He was eligible to retire. Pargas served the city of Uvalde for 18 years."

Pargas had been on administrative leave since July pending an investigation into his actions in May.

New audio fromCNN indicated Pargas knew students were alive in the classroom with the gunman and failed to act.

Uvalde City Council was expected to discuss Pargas' possible termination as a police lieutenant during an executive session scheduled on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Pargas won re-election to commissioners court last week.

He was absent from a commissioners court meeting on Wednesday, during which several residents asked that he step down from that post too.

It was not immediately clear if Pargas planned to step down from the court.

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