Pargas resigns from Uvalde Police Department

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) — He was the acting police chief in Uvalde the day of the Robb Elementary School massacre May 24.
But Thursday afternoon word came out the Mariano Pargas has retired, effective immediately.

Pargas was placed on administrative leave in July after a report looking into the police response to the shooting was released.

It revealed that law enforcement waited more than an hour to enter the classroom where the shooter took the lives of 19 children and two teachers.

Pargas, who was lieutenant with the Uvalde Police Department, had been looking at the possibility of being terminated as soon as this weekend.

The move to let him go ramped up after a report from CNN indicated that Pargas spoke to a dispatcher who told the acting chief that several students were alive but in serious in danger. That conversation reportedly took place at 12:16 P.M. and police didn’t enter the room until 12:50 P.M.

There was a special meeting planned for Saturday to discuss terminating Pargas, but that has been canceled.

Pargas had been with the department for 18 years. He submitted his resignation Thursday.