UVALDE, Texas — The former Texas Department of Public Safety trooper reportedly under investigation for her actions while responding to the Robb Elementary shooting who was hired as a police officer for Uvalde CISD was terminated Thursday.
Crimson Elizondo was seen in footage of the May 24 tragedy at Robb Elementary School and was one of the first troopers to arrive at the school in response to the shooting.
RELATED STORY: She's under investigation for her response to the Robb Elementary shooting; Now she's been hired by Uvalde CISD
Families of the Robb victims took to social media Wednesday night in outrage following the report, with one parent tweeting "This is a slap in the f*ing face!!"
Elizondo was fired by The Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District and they released this statement Thursday:
"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.
Ms. Elizondo’s statement in the audio is not consistent with the District's expectations. Effective today (October 6), Crimson Elizondo has been terminated from her position with the Uvalde CISD.
Regarding the remaining UCISD Police Department employees, we continue to make personnel decisions based on verifiable information. An independent investigation is underway to evaluate the actions of the current officers on May 24, 2022. Additionally, we are awaiting results of a management and organizational review of the UCISD Police Department that will aid the district in taking informed actions to further ensure the safety and security of our schools.
This is all the information we have at this time. We will provide update(s) as information becomes available to us."
Gloria Cazares is sickened after watching body cam footage of Elizondo failing to pursue the gunman who murdered 19 children. One of those young souls was Cazares’ daughter, Jacklyn.
“It makes me nauseated. It really does,” Cazares said.
Elizondo arrived at Robb Elementary two minutes after an 18-year-old gunman entered the school. But instead of pursuing the assailant, she retreated and joined the eventual army of nearly 400 law enforcement officers who waited 77 minutes to kill the shooter.
“As a mother you would think that she would have thought of that, she would have thought of other mothers and a motherly instinct to say hey I need to go in and save those kids,” Cazares said.
Elizondo resigned and landed a police officer position with Uvalde CISD, prompting community outage and heightened criticism of district officials. CNN’s reporting about the controversial hire led to Uvalde CISD firing Elizondo.
“She shouldn’t have been hired in the first place and somebody should have done a little bit more of an investigation or their background checks or following up on their previous employment,” Cazares said. “I don’t understand how somebody in that position can actually resign from one and then go back right to another one where she should have protected some of those kids and she’s working. Definitely a slap in the face, definitely.”
Tina Quintanilla-Taylor pulled her daughter out of Uvalde CISD after the shooting. She’s calling for district officials to be investigated and fired, especially following the hiring of Elizondo, who’s now without a job once again.
“We will not give up until justice has prevailed,” Quintanilla-Taylor said. “The superintendent keeps on making these decisions and they’re irrational and so it makes me wonder is he capable of making the correct decisions to protect our students’ ability to be safe in our school district.”
Cazares says while she appreciates Elizondo’s termination, such action is not enough for the Uvalde victims’ families as they continue their journey toward across-the-board accountability from local and state authorities. Cazares’ strength to push forward and advocate for change comes from her daughter, whom she knows is smiling from heaven.
“There’s nothing else for me to do other than to fight for her and her friends and her teachers. I just miss every single little bit about her,” Cazares said. “I hope she’s proud and knows exactly how much she was loved.”
This is a developing story. Check back with KENS5.com for updates.