Uvalde school district suspends its police department over four months after mass shooting

The police department that serves the Uvalde, Texas, school district has been suspended, officials said Friday, more than four months after a mass shooting claimed the lives of 19 students and two teachers. The decision was made amid several ongoing investigations into the department and its response to the deadly May 24 rampage at Robb Elementary.

Anne Marie Espinoza, the executive director of communications and marketing for the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD), wrote in a statement that the department was suspended due to "recent developments" that "uncovered additional concerns with department operations."

Those officers who serve on the UCISD police force will "fill other roles within the district," she added. Two officials within the department — Lt. Miguel Hernandez and Ken Mueller — were placed on administrative leave. Mueller subsequently decided to retire, according to Espinoza.